Boeing Delivers Last C-17 to US Air Force

and miles of tubing.
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USAF airlift is in good shape for a while.

 

I dunno about that. The C-17 fleet has been getting beat on for a decade of the WoT which has used up a lot of life and the C-130 fleet is about to see some interesting developments. At least the C-5 got new engines.

From a personnel standpoint every mobility pilot with a sliver of ambition has gotten an ATP and is positively salivating over the career options that are finally opening up with airlines.

Special interest items in the airlift world is basic stuff like not screwing planes up while taxiing and successfully landing on the runways.

On the plus side the Air Force leadership got their Top Gun moment with the F-22 intercepting that Iranian F-4.

 

Mark- Believe we just ordered a bunch of new C-130Js, so L-M's gamble on developing that aircraft paid off for them. Not significantly less capable than the A400M and a whole lot cheaper.

 

We're not as worried about the A400 as we are about the new Embraer airplane. The A400 is a larger airplane that is rather in-between the C-130 and the C-17. The RAF previously said that they were going to get rid of their C-130J's after they had received their full order of A400's; now I doubt that that will actually happen.

 

The Embraer KC-390? Isn't it smaller than the C-130J? And a bunch more expensive? A twin jet?

Know when it will be operational?