The Air Force has let the contract with Boeing for five more C-17s, bringing its total order so far to 218, just five shy of completing its 223-aircraft program of record. Boeing earlier this month received $963 million for these five aircraft. Jerry Drelling, Boeing C-17 spokesman, told the Daily Report that these aircraft are part of the 10 for which Congress appropriated funds in Fiscal 2010. He said Boeing expects the contract for the Air Force’s five final C-17s around September. As of earlier this month, the Air Force had taken delivery of 210 C-17s. (See DOD’s May 16 list of major contracts.)
The F-47 fighter will be run differently than previous fighter programs and share the same mission systems architecture as the Collaborative Combat Aircraft, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin told the Senate Armed Services Committee. That means advances in one will fuel advances in the other.