According to reliable sources quoted by India Strategic defencemagazine, the validation trials of the aircraft were complete and thatone United States Air Force (USAF) C-17 which had come to India in thisregard last month had met the IAF specifications. The aircraft wastested in short and high altitude runways.
As India is buying the aircraft from the US government under itsForeign Military Sales (FMS) programme, the US Department of Defense(DOD) and USAF are leading the discussions from the supplier side andthe Indian Ministry of Defence and the IAF are negotiating from thebuyer side.
DOD has set the maximum price at $5.8 billion for the aircraft andvarious systems but the actual price would depend upon what equipmentand onboard options the IAF finally selects.
The US government will issue a Letter of Acceptance (LOA) after thesediscussions are finalized, indicating the equipment, services, andlifecycle support and their costs. There would be a 3.8 per centadministrative fee that the US government now charges on all FMS deals.(This fee varies periodically between 2.5 to 5 per cent).
India Strategic quoted Boeing's Vice President for Global MobilitySystems Tommy Dunehew, who was here recently, as saying that Boeing hasoffered assured maintenance and supply of spares for the lifetime ofthe aircraft - say 40 years - and serviceability.
The aircraft is manufactured by Boeing at its Los Angeles facility.
According to an official Boeing statement, the latest large T-tailedC-17 Globemaster-III, which India is seeking, can carry a maximumpayload of 74,797 kilograms for 2,400 nautical miles without refuelingand 45,495 kilograms for 4,000 nautical miles without refueling.
The aircraft can also be refueled midair to extend its range to carryequipment and humanitarian aid across international distances.
The statement said that the C-17 can operate from "a small, austereairfield in 3,000 feet or less" with full payload. "The C-17 isequipped with an externally blown flap system that allows a steep,low-speed final approach and low-landing speeds for routine short-fieldlandings."
Boeing has delivered 199 C-17s to the USAF. There are 19 C-17 aircraft with other international customers.
India-USbegin price negotiations on Boeing C-17 airlifter-Airlines /Aviation-Transportation-News By Industry-News-The Economic Times
