Possible sale of Boeing C-17 aircraft to India approved – Pentagon

The U.S. State Department has approved the possible sale to India of one Boeing C-17 transport aircraft, with an estimated cost of $366 million, a Pentagon agency said on Monday.

The Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a statement it notified Congress on Monday of the sale, which includes four turbofan engines, a missile warning system, a countermeasures dispensing system and an identification friend or foe transponder.

Here are some quick facts about the C-17 craft

  • The American built C-17 has the capability to carry around 80 tonnes of load and around 150 fully geared troops. It will replace the Russian Il-76 which could carry loads of up to 40 tonnes.
  • The C-17 is designed to operate from runways as short as 3,500 ft and as narrow as 90 ft. The craft can also operate from unpaved and unimproved runways though it could lead to damage to the craft.
  • Boeing has delivered 256 C-17s to various countries, including 222 to the US Air Force and a total of 34 to Australia, Canada, India, Qatar, the UAE, the United Kingdom and the 12-member Strategic Airlift Capability initiative of NATO and Partnership for Peace nations.

  • In recent times, the IAF has shifted its dependence from the Russian-origin aircraft towards the American ones with the induction of the C-17 and the C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft.

  • The first C-17 squadron was operational in January 1995. Since then, the C-17 fleet has covered over 75,000 flying hours and has been involved in military and humanitarian operations.

  • Quick specifications: Length-173 feet 11 inches; Height-55 feet 1 inch; Wingspan-169 feet 10 inches; Weight-277,000 pounds; Cruise Speed-0.77 Mach (the speed of the aircraft divided by the speed of sound)

 

 

 

Source:- reuters

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