Congress Passes Bill For Funding Three New Planes

I'm not dead yet. That's the word from Boeing about it's C-17 Globemaster III military transport program... after the House of Representatives last week approved funding for three more of the $200 million aircraft.

"There are some positive signs lately from Congress and international customers," Boeing CEO James McNerney said Wednesday, during Boeing's annual investors meeting in St. Louis. "I see a future for that airplane."

That means Boeing will likely be able to add on to Congress's original order to build 180 Globemasters through 2008. An earlier version of the bill would have spent $390 million to mothball the C-17 production line, in accordance with a directive from the Pentagon. The bill shifts those funds -- as well as an additional $300 million -- towards building more planes, instead.

That's good news for about 6,500 workers at Boeing's Long Beach, CA plant that builds the C-17. The funding measure, if approved by the Senate, would help insure the plant would remain open for at least another two years. So far, the plant has delivered about 150 of the 180 C-17s called for on the original order.

Boeing is also reportedly negotiating a deal with the Australian Air Force for additional C-17s, on top of an order placed in March for up to four of the heavy lifters.

FMI: www.boeing.com/defense-space/military/c17/index.htm