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C-17 Aircraft: Cost and Performance Issues

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Report Type Reports and Testimonies
Report Date Jan. 26, 1995
Report No. NSIAD-95-26
Subject
Summary:

The widebodied C-17 cargo plane was intended to carry out a variety of unique missions, such as delivering cargo and troops to battlefront airfields; landing in small, austere airfields during conflicts; airlifting outsize cargo, such as tanks; and performing air drops. GAO assessed the C-17's original justification and the effect of technical problems and cost increases on the aircraft's ability to achieve original program requirements. Changes in the intended role of the C-17, soaring program costs, and the results of the Defense Department's own analysis lead GAO to conclude that a fleet of 120 C-17 aircraft is not the most effective way to meet the Air Force's airlift needs. A fleet of 40 C-17s and 64 commercial freighters could meet the Defense Department's airlift requirements, as expressed in the Mobility Requirements Study, at a cost savings of upwards of $10 billion when compared to a fleet of 120 C-17s.

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