Posted on 09/09/2013 3:04:05 PM PDT by BenLurkin
LONG BEACH (CBSLA.com) Its the end of an era for a Boeing assembly plant in Long Beach.
KNX 1070′s Bob Brill reports the military contractor is set to roll out its final C-17 Globemaster transport plane for the U.S. military in the coming days.
The C-17, which first rolled off the assembly line in 1991, can carry a tank or up to 800 soldiers into combat and has been sold to nations all over the globe.
Initially, only 40 of the oversized transports were to be built following some early issues that threatened to ground the aircraft, but since then, 250 of the giant aircraft have been manufactured at the Long Beach facility.
The Indian government is expected to receive the final ten C-17s before construction on the aircraft is discontinued.
Boeing is expected to keep the plant open in the hopes of securing international orders for aircraft and has made plans to relocate some of its Seattle staff to Long Beach.
We saw the C 17 go though its paces at the Chino air Show a year or two ago amazing aircraft
Surprised production is being stopped now. I would think this plane would have a similar run of production to the C130
What will replace it? Anyone know?
Are C-130s still being build?
Pilots in the AF get their training, and hours up in those things flying around over my chimney here in Glen Valley all day, and often into the nights. Sometimes they come over so low I can see the rivets in the wings/fuselage, etc.
They are attention getters at almost any altitude around here.
Driving down Van Buren Blvd. towards Arlington Cemetary in Riverside one can often see these huge aircraft dominating the sky.
Are C-130s still being build?
The C-130 J model is probably still being built. It started coming on line about 15 years ago, displacing navigators (like me).
Faster, stronger, better — the C-130 is a cool machine.
But if their GPS/INS goes out, I have lost my sextant and can’t help them.
Carrying 800 Soldiers??? No, I don’t think so. Only a A380 can carry over 800 passengers.
The C-130J (the latest version) is still being built.
The spokesman went on to say the plant would be converted over to a cell phone factory to keep up with demand for the free obama phones.
There will be no end to C130 production.
Gonna have to come up with the next big lift plane if the C17 is done.
No worries. They can always stop and ask the Navy for directions.
As long as there is a country whose air force require mobility, the will be C-130s built.
Name another cargo aircraft that has landed and taken off from an aircraft carriers deck.
Has long standing and proven STOL/Bare Base capability.
Has retrieved packages from satellites in orbit with Skyhook capabilities.
Has proven itself to be a superior gunship platform for troops on the ground.
As well as an excellent candidate for Special Operations with Helicopter refueling packages. RF information/intelligence gathering and jamming capabilities.
Forward and Side Looking Radar and Infra Red.
Still has JATO racks still built into their fuselage and air deflector doors for military operations.
Has had an amphibious seaplane modification variant for more than four decades.
If there is a need. The C-130 can handle it.
The C-17? Not so much. Too big and too heavy for short field operations. Too expensive to even be considered being put in harms way.
Modern receivers can operate in either GPS or Glonass, or both, so if one goes down, you’re not necessarily dead.
Would. . .if people bought it at the numbers of the C-130.
Upgrades and mods are done at a different location.
LB is for initial build and airworthiness.
>> “Gonna have to come up with the next big lift plane if the C17 is done.” <<
.
I think Obama’s plan is Big Fail.
End of a (McDonnell Douglas) era.
I know a C-17 pilot. At the airshow, he let me sit in the pilot’s seat and play with the radio. I tuned all the way through AM to the amateur 10 meter band (28000 - 29700 kc). I’d love to have fired up 10 meters or even go down on the CB radio band. B-)
We’ve had C-130’s stationed here in Pittsburgh since the mid 1970’s. I remember before that, we had C-124 Globemaster II’s, a pistoned engined cargo plane as well as C-123’s. Ironically, the C-17 is called the Globemaster III.
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