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.
The Air Force is on track to reach its annual goal of graduating 1,500 new pilots that had proved elusive to this point, one year after the service launched a sweeping overhaul of its undergraduate pilot training program, Air Education and Training Command said Sept. 14.
