Australian government ready to flash the cash to buy two more C-17 strategic lift freighters?
airCargo #236 archive stories
Tuesday, 28 April 2015
WITH Australia’s economy under pressure, it’s a little surprising the federal government has found A$1 billion or so in cash to buy two further C-17 strategic lift freighters and associated equipment for the RAAF.
As coincidence would have it, Australia’s Kiwi cousins are also looking at a possible C-17 Globemaster III purchase to the extent that parliamentary committee members took a familiarisation flight earlier this year in an RAAF machine visiting Wellington to deliver Aussie sandstone for a war memorial.
The flurry of trans-Tasman interest in the C-17 is all the more surprising because Boeing is about to pull the plug on its production line in Long Beach, California after a quarter century.
Military freighters are of major importance to both Australia and NZ. There’s a strong cross-over with civilian air cargo, too. One example was an RNZAF Hercules hauling an elephant to Niue for quarantine, as we reported earlier, trans-shipping from Auckland after a long-haul flight from Sri Lanka.
Air forces have logistics infrastructure akin to civilian and personnel often move to the civil sector after a military stint. In addition to using military freighters for peace-keeping and other military duties, Australia and NZ are generous in their response to natural calamities as seen in recent weeks as aircraft shuttled to and within Vanuatu helping rebuild communities damaged and traumatised by a super-cyclone.
With our traditions of helping others, tactical and strategic airlift capabilities are essential.
But spending A$1 billion on boosting the C-17 fleet to eight seems a contender for the warm and fuzzy ‘like to have’ category when up against a sluggish – at best – economy and cuts in budgeting for other equally or more essential services.
An alternative would be to lease capacity when a major emergency arises. After all, there are a vast number of freighters not committed to scheduled services and a range of private operators with good track records in flying humanitarian operations for the UN and non-governmental agencies.
Australia already does contract out some government services such as using Skytrader A319s for Antarctic passenger/cargo, refugee transfer and occasional VIP flights.
Other carriers like Alliance also handle refugee work and a variety of operators, mostly using foreign-registered aircraft, have undertaken military charters during the past 10-15 years.
NZ at least is having a spirited argument about how to get the biggest bang for the budgetary buck, keeping that budget tight from conceptual planning through to delivery. It would like to secure one type to replace the C-130Hs and the B757s used for a variety of tasks. One possibility is the A400M, which Airbus is promoting enthusiastically. It has commenced a ‘hearts and minds’ advertising campaign in NZ, touting the type’s multi-faceted abilities.
The campaign is perhaps a good reminder that this isn’t ‘government’ money that’s being spent – it’s money earned and paid by taxpayers. In other words: Us as individuals and commercial entities. - Kelvin King
Australian government ready to flash the cash to buy two more C-17 strategic lift freighters?
airCargo #236 archive stories
Tuesday, 28 April 2015
WITH Australia’s economy under pressure, it’s a little surprising the federal government has found A$1 billion or so in cash to buy two further C-17 strategic lift freighters and associated equipment for the RAAF.
As coincidence would have it, Australia’s Kiwi cousins are also looking at a possible C-17 Globemaster III purchase to the extent that parliamentary committee members took a familiarisation flight earlier this year in an RAAF machine visiting Wellington to deliver Aussie sandstone for a war memorial.
The flurry of trans-Tasman interest in the C-17 is all the more surprising because Boeing is about to pull the plug on its production line in Long Beach, California after a quarter century.
Military freighters are of major importance to both Australia and NZ. There’s a strong cross-over with civilian air cargo, too. One example was an RNZAF Hercules hauling an elephant to Niue for quarantine, as we reported earlier, trans-shipping from Auckland after a long-haul flight from Sri Lanka.
Air forces have logistics infrastructure akin to civilian and personnel often move to the civil sector after a military stint. In addition to using military freighters for peace-keeping and other military duties, Australia and NZ are generous in their response to natural calamities as seen in recent weeks as aircraft shuttled to and within Vanuatu helping rebuild communities damaged and traumatised by a super-cyclone.
With our traditions of helping others, tactical and strategic airlift capabilities are essential.
But spending A$1 billion on boosting the C-17 fleet to eight seems a contender for the warm and fuzzy ‘like to have’ category when up against a sluggish – at best – economy and cuts in budgeting for other equally or more essential services.
An alternative would be to lease capacity when a major emergency arises. After all, there are a vast number of freighters not committed to scheduled services and a range of private operators with good track records in flying humanitarian operations for the UN and non-governmental agencies.
Australia already does contract out some government services such as using Skytrader A319s for Antarctic passenger/cargo, refugee transfer and occasional VIP flights.
Other carriers like Alliance also handle refugee work and a variety of operators, mostly using foreign-registered aircraft, have undertaken military charters during the past 10-15 years.
NZ at least is having a spirited argument about how to get the biggest bang for the budgetary buck, keeping that budget tight from conceptual planning through to delivery. It would like to secure one type to replace the C-130Hs and the B757s used for a variety of tasks. One possibility is the A400M, which Airbus is promoting enthusiastically. It has commenced a ‘hearts and minds’ advertising campaign in NZ, touting the type’s multi-faceted abilities.
The campaign is perhaps a good reminder that this isn’t ‘government’ money that’s being spent – it’s money earned and paid by taxpayers. In other words: Us as individuals and commercial entities. - Kelvin King
