Boeing has been awarded a contract by the US Department of Defense for the C-17 Globemaster III Sustainment Program for the global fleet of aircraft.

The initial contract is valued at US$3.46bn (A$4.8bn) for an initial three year period, but with options out to 2031 could eventually be valued at US$23.76bn (A$32.9bn). The work scope includes program management, logistics, material management, sustainment engineering, depot level maintenance, modifications, and sustainment of the aircraft’s F117 engines.

Boeing supports maintenance and sustainment operations at the operators’ home bases, while deep or depot level maintenance for all C-17s is conducted at Boeing’s vast sustainment centre at San Antonio in Texas. All non-US operator sustainment services are managed through foreign military sales (FMS) arrangements with the USAF.

“We are bending the cost curve on platforms like the C-17 by leveraging the breadth and depth of Boeing’s services capabilities and expertise worldwide, and by applying digital tools and analytics to drive predictability and performance into every C-17 mission,” Boeing Global Services’ vice president & general manager of US Government Services, Dan Gillian said in a September 30 company release.

“Working in partnership with our military customers, we are deriving data insight from these aircraft that is improving readiness and increasing fleet efficiency,” Gillian added. “Analytical insights provide actionable intelligence to predict component failures, troubleshoot errors with greater speed and accuracy, complete repairs faster, and support aircrew decision making.”

A total of 276 C-17As were built before production ceased in 2016. Aircraft are in service with the USAF (222), Australia (8), the UK (8), Canada (5), India (10), the NATO Strategic Airlift Capability (3), Qatar (8), the UAE (6), and Kuwait (6).