Boeing will continue assuring the worldwide availability of
C-17 aircraft, which provide vital
military and humanitarian airlift capability, through a $2 billion follow-on
contract it recently received from the US Department of Defense.
The C-17
Globemaster III Integrated Sustainment Program (GISP) provides support
services such as forecasting, purchasing and material management for the C-17
and all C-17-unique support.
This Performance-Based Logistics (PBL) program, which
started in 1998 with 42 aircraft, now covers 246 worldwide.
It provides lower costs through economies of scale
from supporting the entire global fleet. The latest contract covers fiscal
years 2013 through 2017.
Under a PBL arrangement, a customer receives an
agreed-to level of system readiness, as opposed to a traditional contract for
specific spare parts and support services.
This integrated logistics approach - in which Boeing
manages US assets as a designated Inventory Control Point - has allowed Boeing
to apply innovative spares forecasting and modelling tools to maximise aircraft
availability while lowering costs.
In many cases, Boeing has provided readiness levels
beyond those spelled out in the agreements.
This Performance-Based Logistics program, which started in 1998 with 42 aircraft, now covers 246 worldwide.
