Boeing says it will now close its C-17 Globemaster III production line at Long Beach in Los Angeles in mid-2015 instead of the previously announced “late-2015” due to a slight reduction in orders.
The company says the three-month “adjustment” is based on “current market trends and the timing of expected orders.”
Boeing has delivered 262 C-17s to date, including 223 to the USAF. Foreign operators include Australia, Canada, the UK, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, India, and the eastern European Strategic Airlift Capability consortium, and a backlog of 17 aircraft is due to be delivered before the plant closes.