Boeing

The Boeing Company has awarded a contract to the U.S. Air Force Warner Robins Air Logistics Center, Ga., for analytical condition inspections on the C-17 Globemaster III airlifter.

The unique contract award to the U.S. government from a private company marks another innovative aspect of the C-17 Flexible Sustainment program, which is designed to provide high levels of logistics support and mission readiness while reducing operating and support costs. Under the one-year contract, Warner Robins will perform analytical condition inspections on up to three C-17 airlifters during fiscal year 2000.

"Implementing effective public-private partnerships is a key element in reducing total ownership costs for fielded aircraft systems," said Jim Restelli, vice president and general manager of Aerospace Support, part of the Boeing Military Aircraft and Missile Systems Group. "Our team approach to Flexible Sustainment is a great example of that, where we and the Air Force are working to complement our respective capabilities so we can provide world-class life-cycle customer support at the most affordable price."

Flexible Sustainment currently is in a transition phase that began in 1998 and will continue through the year 2000. Beginning in 2001, the Flexible Sustainment program will enter into a two-year proof-of-concept phase, during which Boeing will assume responsibility for an overarching system-level performance guarantee. Following a successful assessment phase in 2003, a final decision will be made on where depot support will be done for the long term.

The program, which makes extensive use of Air Force/Boeing integrated product teams, already has shown remarkable successes. The C-17 fleet, which reached the 100,000-hour milestone in July 1998, has seen overall excellent reliability, maintainability and availability performance, with a greater than 85 percent mission capable rate. Contractor depot repair turnaround times have been reduced by approximately 25 percent, and the program has achieved a 20-percent higher level of ready-for-installation engines with the same quantity of spares.

Boeing has delivered 54 of the advanced C-17 airlifters to the Air Force. They are based at Charleston Air Force Base, S.C.; Altus Air Force Base, Okla.; and McChord Air Force Base, Wash.

Combining its maintenance and modification, logistics support services, and training and support systems competencies, the fast-growing Aerospace Support business offers integrated life-cycle customer support solutions to U.S. and international military services.

99-165