Latest news with #C-17s
Gulf Insider
5 days ago
- Politics
- Gulf Insider
US Nuclear Weapons Transferred To UK Soil For First Time In Over 15 Years
In a huge development which is no doubt related to recent nuclear saber-rattling in the context of the Ukraine war, the US has likely stationed nuclear weapons in Britain for the first time in more than 15 years, according to The Telegraph and other British media reports. 'An American C-17 transport plane visited RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk on Thursday, making a transatlantic journey from Kirtland Air Force base in New Mexico, where the US Air Force (USAF) stores nuclear bombs,' The Telegraph writes Tuesday. 'Analysts said it was likely that the flight contained nuclear bombs, which were last stationed in the UK in 2008, before being removed under the Obama administration,' the report continues. The British newspaper says that supporting evidence that this is the case includes previously revealed details of an upcoming 'nuclear mission' at Lakenheath. This mission was first made known in unclassified documents that The Telegraph says were likely published by the US government by mistake, or else it could have been an intentional leak in order to signal Russia. The logistics of last Thursday's rare US transatlantic flight from New Mexico also suggests a highly sensitive mission to transfer nuclear assets: The airspace over the base was restricted on Thursday and the aircraft did not immediately return to the US, in what one analyst told The Times appeared to be a 'one-way drop-off'. The plane also refuelled over the east coast of the US which The Aviationist specialist news website said this was a clue that it was flying a priority mission. Separately The Times had also reported the story, including the detail that the US military transport plane which flew to Lakenheath had flown from the US with its transponders on, allowing it to be tracked by foreign governments. One analyst said, 'Flying transpondered C-17s from hot storage in Kirtland to Lakenheath and then returning and not going to a storage facility tells me this is a one-way drop-off flight.' 'Sometimes these particular C-17 flights are flown without transponders. So, the fact that they transpondered, this suggests to me that this has got to be deliberate,' the analyst added. Again, this seems some deliberative 'messaging' to Moscow, coming as President Trump is seeking to pressure the Russian and Ukrainian sides to make progress at the negotiating table. Washington knows it has little leverage, given Kiev forces have remained on a backfoot, and Russia is making slow but steady progress in the east. The Kremlin says that it is 'monitoring' these reports. Recently Russia's strategic doctrine has been updated, given President Putin a little broader interpretation concerning deployment of nuclear weapons. It is believed that Russian tactical nukes are also still on Belarusian soil, which has greatly alarmed Europe.
Time of India
19-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
As World War III looms, will Boeing restart the production of its iconic heavy lift jet the C-17 Globemaster III?
Boeing C-17 Production Restart Talks Begin Amid Rising Global Demand for Strategic Airlift - Boeing is exploring a possible C-17 production restart, nearly a decade after the last aircraft left the assembly line. The Globemaster III, a backbone of the U.S. and allied airlift capability, could return to production as Boeing confirms early-stage discussions with at least one unnamed foreign customer. This development comes amid growing global demand for strategic transport aircraft, especially as no immediate replacement for the C-17 currently exists. According to Turbo Sjogren, VP and general manager of Boeing Global Services-Government Services, the talks are in their "early infancy," as reported by Shephard Defense at the Paris Air Show. Why is Boeing considering restarting C-17 Globemaster III production now? The interest in restarting Boeing C-17 production stems from a lack of comparable alternatives and growing international airlift needs. Countries across Europe, the Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East are expanding their military capabilities and looking for aircraft that can meet both strategic and tactical lift roles. The C-17's unique ability to carry up to 100,000 pounds of cargo over 4,500 nautical miles while landing on runways as short as 3,500 feet makes it nearly unmatched. While Boeing hasn't revealed which country is involved in the current talks, speculation includes Japan, whose Prime Minister, Shigeru Ishiba, recently expressed interest in acquiring C-17s. Previously, Tokyo would have needed to source used aircraft from allies. A new production line changes that possibility entirely. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Join new Free to Play WWII MMO War Thunder War Thunder Play Now Undo Who currently operates the C-17 and why is demand increasing? The U.S. Air Force remains the largest operator of the C-17, but it's also used by Australia, Canada, India, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, and the United Kingdom, among others. Additionally, NATO's Strategic Airlift Capability operates several C-17s. In recent years, the usage rate of U.S. C-17s has risen sharply due to global operations in Afghanistan, Ukraine, and ongoing tensions in the Indo-Pacific. The fleet is aging faster than expected, creating urgency for more aircraft—even as the Air Force explores long-term replacements like Next-Generation Airlift (NGAL) or blended-wing-body (BWB) aircraft. Live Events What makes the C-17 so hard to replace? There simply isn't a true C-17 alternative in production today. Competing platforms like the Airbus A400M and Embraer C-390 Millennium offer varying capabilities but don't match the C-17's payload and runway versatility. The A400M, for instance, carries only 30,000 pounds over 2,400 nautical miles—just a fraction of the C-17's range and lift. The C-390, often dubbed a "jet-powered C-130," is also more limited in strategic applications. Notably, the C-17 is capable of airlifting an M1 Abrams tank, a feat beyond the reach of these other aircraft. That outsized capacity is critical for modern military logistics, particularly in fast-moving or remote theaters of operation. What challenges would Boeing face in restarting the C-17 line? Restarting C-17 production won't be easy—or cheap. Boeing shut down its Long Beach, California facility in 2015, after producing 279 aircraft. The site, once operated by McDonnell Douglas (before Boeing's acquisition in 1997), was later put up for sale in 2018. That move effectively ended full-scale military aircraft production in Southern California. A RAND Corporation report in 2013 estimated it would cost around $8 billion to restart production and build 150 new C-17s with improved fuel efficiency. At the time, Boeing was expected to shift manufacturing to a different location. Today, Boeing continues to provide maintenance under the C-17 Globemaster III Integrated Sustainment Program (GISP), which could form a foundation for any new production effort. Could the U.S. Air Force also order new C-17s? Yes, and that might be key. Although the U.S. Air Force once considered adding three more C-17 squadrons to its inventory, those plans were shelved. Now, with airlift demand surging and future conflicts likely requiring rapid, distributed logistics, there's renewed interest. The Air Force may not be able to wait for next-gen airlift solutions to become reality. Restarting C-17 production—if foreign interest is strong enough—might give the Pentagon a chance to place a gap-filler order. It's a move that could help extend global reach and support new missions, such as standoff weapons delivery, which adds a new layer of capability to the C-17. What is C-17 Globalmaster The C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft developed by McDonnell Douglas (now part of Boeing) for the U.S. Air Force. It is designed to carry heavy cargo, troops, and equipment over long distances and into remote or undeveloped airfields. Key Features of the C-17 Globemaster: Can carry up to 100,000 pounds of cargo Flies over 4,500 nautical miles without refueling Operates on short, narrow, or rough runways Can transport tanks, helicopters, troops, and supplies Used for combat missions, humanitarian aid, and aerial delivery What's next for the C-17 and global strategic airlift? At this stage, it's unclear whether restarting C-17 production is feasible or cost-effective. Boeing hasn't confirmed where it would build new aircraft or how soon production could ramp up. However, with growing international demand, aging global fleets, and limited alternatives, the pressure to bring the C-17 Globemaster III back into production is real. Whether Boeing and the U.S. Air Force move forward may ultimately depend on foreign orders—and whether Washington is willing to support the restart to preserve a capability many see as essential in today's rapidly shifting global defense environment. For now, the possibility is back on the table—and it's one many military planners are watching closely. FAQs: Q1: Why is Boeing considering a C-17 production restart? Because rising global demand and no existing replacement make the C-17 vital for military airlift missions. Q2: Which countries are interested in buying new C-17s? Japan and other unnamed nations have shown interest as strategic transport needs grow.
Yahoo
18-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Boeing In Talks To Restart C-17 Production
Two decades after the last example rolled off the production line, Boeing says it's in negotiations with at least one customer to build more C-17 Globemaster III airlifters. The development comes as countries around the world look to boost their armed forces' capabilities, and with no immediate successor to the C-17 waiting in the wings. Turbo Sjogren, VP and general manager of Boeing Global Services-Government Services, confirmed to Shephard Defense at the Paris Air Show today that 'early infancy' talks were underway with one country, with a view to a potential C-17 production restart.'It is a very extraordinary effort to do,' Sjogren told the same publication, noting that it was 'reflective of the utility of the aircraft.' He added that interest in new-build C-17s was being expressed by several other countries, too. None of those countries was named, but TWZ has approached Boeing for more details. The nations involved may or may not be drawn from the C-17's existing customer base. As well as the U.S. Air Force, its biggest operator, the C-17 is flown by Australia, Canada, India, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom. Finally, NATO's multinational Strategic Airlift Capability Heavy Airlift Wing also operates C-17s. One potentially new customer for the C-17 is Japan. Earlier this year, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba disclosed an interest in buying C-17. Previously, we speculated that any such aircraft for Japan would have to be transferred from the U.S. Air Force or from the inventory of an allied operator. If a new production line were to open, that would change things entirely. Certainly, a continued demand for the C-17 is understandable among both established operators and potential new customers. Outside of China and Russia, there is no real equivalent to the C-17, with many countries instead turning to the Airbus A400M or the Embraer C-390 Millennium for their airlift needs, which offer a very different set of capabilities. The A400M was originally marketed as a gap-filler between the C-130 Hercules at one end and the C-17 at the other. Meanwhile, the C-390 has often been described, in loose terms, as a jet-powered C-130. The C-17 can transport 100,000 pounds of cargo more than 4,500 nautical miles. It can make high-angle, steep approaches at relatively slow speeds, allowing it to operate into small, austere airfields and onto runways as short as 3,500 feet long and just 90 feet wide. While it has tactical capabilities, it's equally adept as a long-range, heavy-lift strategic transport. Unlike the A400M, the C-17 can lift everything up to an M1 Abrams main battle tank, so its outsized load-carrying capabilities are impressive and useful. The A400M, in contrast, is much more of a tactical transport that offers certain strategic capabilities. It can carry 30,000 pounds of cargo over 2,400 nautical miles, and it can also operate from unprepared or semi-prepared strips. Clearly, the A400M isn't a direct replacement for the C-17, but at the same time, Boeing says it has no planned replacement for the Globemaster III. But bringing the C-17 back into production, whatever the demand, will not be straightforward. Back in 2018, we reported on how Boeing had put the Long Beach, California, facilities where it built the C-17 up for sale. This appeared to bring a definitive end to C-17 production, as well as Boeing's serial manufacture of military aircraft in Southern California. But even at that time, there was a question about whether emerging U.S. Air Force demands might make a restart an attractive idea. Specifically, the U.S. Air Force was, back then, looking to add three C-17 squadrons as part of a larger push to drastically expand the size of its force and to enhance its ability to move personnel and materiel across the globe. Those plans fell by the wayside, but the C-17 aspiration seemed something of a non-starter at that time. When it was active, Boeing's Long Beach facility, comprising a nearly four-million-square-foot plot of land adjacent to Long Beach Airport, produced 279 C-17s for the U.S. Air Force and foreign customers. McDonnell Douglas had developed and first started production of the C-17 at the site in 1991. Boeing bought that firm in 1997, taking over the Globemaster III program and the production facilities in the process. Though Boeing still provides C-17-related maintenance and other services in Southern California, the production facilities at Long Beach have been idle since the last Globemaster III left the plant in 2015. Even before that, in 2013, the RAND Corporation conducted a detailed analysis of what it might cost to reboot C-17 production after a multi-year pause. The figure was close to $8 billion to support the production of up to 150 new derivatives with improved fuel efficiency. RAND assumed that Boeing would build those aircraft somewhere else rather than in Long Beach. We have also reached out to Boeing today to get a better idea of what it would now take to start building C-17s again. A production restart could perhaps also be aligned with Boeing's Integrated Sustainment Program (GISP), which provides modernization and support to the existing C-17 fleet. If a new production run proved to be feasible, Boeing would likely look again at an updated configuration, which would be a more capable and efficient subtype. Some of these improvements might also be relevant for upgrades of C-17s built in the original series. In the longer term, the U.S. Air Force has been eyeing more exotic airlift capabilities, like blended-wing-body (BWB) designs. While there are still many unknowns about the kinds of capabilities and platforms that the service will need in the future, one thing that seems to be central, at least at this stage, is the requirement for a much greater degree of survivability compared to legacy airlift platforms. A revamped C-17 would not deliver on that front. On the other hand, the requirement to replace the C-5 Galaxy and C-17 fleets is becoming increasingly urgent. The program to field new U.S. Air Force airlift capabilities is still at an early stage and it's unclear if it will be pursued under the (currently still unofficial) Next-Generation Airlift (NGAL) name, or if it will be reconfigured under the name Next-Generation Airlift System, to better represent that fact that it will involve a family of different platforms and capabilities. Regardless, the service doesn't have much time to stand up and deliver on an entirely new strategic airlifter or family of strategic airlifters. Absolutely critical to the fate of the U.S. Air Force C-17 fleet is the fact that these vital aircraft are being tasked at a far higher rate than planned. Major contingencies all over the world, from Afghanistan to Ukraine, in particular, have put many extra hours on these airframes. A potential future contingency in the Pacific would see the fleet taxed even harder and possibly over a longer period of time. Some argue that more C-17 capacity is needed just to fight that conflict in the distributed manner the Pentagon wants. On top of this, promising new capabilities are giving C-17s the ability to execute kinetic roles via standoff weapons delivery, which could be a great way to take some pressure off the bomber force. At the same time, the question of where the capacity to actually execute that mission would come from during a time when aerial logistics would be pushed to the max isn't clear. Hence why the call for more C-17s, or something that is similarly capable, is growing louder. With all this in mind, the U.S. Air Force might well welcome the opportunity to buy additional C-17s, if it can find the funds to do so, even if only as a gap-filler. In fact, depending on the level of foreign interest in new-build C-17s, an order from the Pentagon may well be critical in order to get any production restart off the ground. At this point, it remains very questionable whether restarting C-17 production is possible, let alone economical. On the other hand, there's little doubt that customers looking for an airlifter that's able to land on an unimproved airstrip in the middle of nowhere or carry an Abrams main battle tank have very few realistic options at this point in time. Contact the author: thomas@
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Congressmen decry turning Fairfield base into ‘mass deportation center'
(KRON) — Two congressmen sent a joint letter to U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth following reports that the Trump administration is considering using Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield as an immigration detention facility and mass deportation center. U.S. Representatives John Garamendi (D-CA) and Mike Thompson (D-CA) are calling the Travis Air Force Base plan 'outrageous.' 'It's outrageous and inappropriate for the Trump Administration to use Travis Air Force Base as an immigration detention facility,' the congressmen wrote. Travis Air Force Base is known as the 'Gateway to the Pacific' because of its its geographical location and mission for transporting for military personnel and equipment around the world. Earlier this year, Garamendi's office sent a letter demanding answers from the Department of Defense regarding the use of C-17s and C-130s from Travis Air Force Base to deport undocumented immigrants. Travis-AFB-LetterDownload 'Unfortunately, this is not the President's first attempt to inappropriately utilize Travis Air Force Base, hampering its critical mission. In February, we uncovered that Trump was using Travis's military aircraft to transport undocumented individuals. Now, the President wants to turn Travis into a mass deportation center. All these instances compromise our national security and are simply absurd,' the congressmen wrote. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trump admin moving forward with plans to transport undocumented immigrants to Libya
The Trump administration is moving forward with plans to transport a group of undocumented immigrants to Libya on a US military plane, an administration official told CNN. It is unclear when the plane would leave and whether other groups of migrants would also be sent to Libya — a country engaged in an ongoing civil conflict — in the future, the official said. Flight trackers show that a US Air Force C-17 has filed a plan to fly on Wednesday from Kelly Field in San Antonio to Misrata Airport in Libya. The US has repeatedly used the large C-17s to transport migrants in recent months. The White House declined to comment. CNN first reported the administration was communicating with Libya to have the country take migrants from the United States. Reuters first reported on the potential military flight this week. The decision to send migrants to Libya, which the UN has previously criticized for its harsh treatment of migrants, is a further escalation of the president's deportation policies — which have faced widespread political and legal backlash. The State Department's website has a Level 4 travel advisory for Libya. 'Do not travel to Libya due to crime, terrorism, unexploded landmines, civil unrest, kidnapping, and armed conflict,' the site reads. Conversations about sending migrants to other countries in Africa, such as Rwanda, continue. But there are no confirmed plans for flights to those other countries right now, sources familiar with those discussions said. Natasha Bertrand and Kylie Atwood contributed to this report. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at
