Final Assembly Of Basic Airframe Completed In Two Weeks

Representatives with Boeing tell ANN that on Wednesday, the company delivered the first of three C-40C transport aircraft to the US Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC) at Scott Air Force Base in Illinois.

The 932nd and 375th Airlift Wings will use the aircraft -- a military-spec derivative of the Next-Generation 737-700 Boeing Business Jet -- to transport congressional delegations and senior government personnel on official business.

"To facilitate the assembly process, we leveraged the company's commercial 737 investment and infrastructure at our Seattle-area facilities, which completed final assembly of the basic air vehicle in two weeks," said Ron Marcotte, vice president and general manager of Boeing Global Mobility Systems. "We then spent nine months modifying the aircraft to meet our AFRC customer's unique military and mission requirements, while retaining as much of the commercial aircraft as possible."

The modifications include military avionics that augment the commercial flight deck; a rewired interior that accommodates satellite communications equipment for passenger use; an interior that comprises 40 business-class seats, two work areas with conference tables and accommodations for 11 crew members; and auxiliary fuel tanks that extend the aircraft's range to approximately 4,400 nautical miles.

The airplane joins a family of 16 C-40s already in service with the US government: three C-40Cs with the Air National Guard at Andrews AFB in Maryland; four US Air Force C-40Bs supporting the US Combatant Commands at Andrews, Ramstein AFB, Germany and Hickam AFB, Hawaii; and the US Navy Reserve's nine C-40As stationed at Naval Air Stations North Island, CA; Fort Worth, TX; and Jacksonville, FL.

FMI: www.boeing.com, www.afrc.af.mil