Boeing has received a letter of request from India for the “potential acquisition” of 10 C-17s airlifters, according to a company release. Boeing last week said it had signed a contract with United Arab Emirates for six C-17s. The Indian Air Force plans to replace and augment its Russian-made An-32 and Il-76 airlifters. Currently, Boeing has delivered 19 of the new strategic airlifters to international customers, including Australia, Britain, Canada, and Qatar. In December, President Obama signed the 2010 defense appropriations bill, which included money for 10 additional C-17s and would bring USAF’s total to 223 aircraft.
Advancements in commercial space technology could make President Donald Trump’s proposed “Golden Dome” missile defense network far more likely to succeed than the failed “Star Wars” strategic umbrella initiative of the 1980s, U.S. Space Command’s top general said May 22....