Air Force Plane Order Good News For State Even Though Boeing Lost, Officials Happy Planes Will Stay In State

Boeing lost its bid to sell 747s to the Air Force for use as cargo planes, but for Washington state, there’s a consolation prize.

Starting in the year 2000, the entire fleet of 48 cargo planes based at McChord Air Force Base south of Tacoma will be replaced with new C-17s, the Defense Department said Friday.

The announcement came as the Pentagon decided to spend $18 billion on 80 more McDonnell Douglas C-17 airlifters, rather than buy a mix of C-17s and specially modified 747-400 freighters. The decision meant Boeing lost out on billions of dollars of new aircraft orders.

The new jets replace the Air Force’s aging C-141 cargo planes. In all, 120 C-17s will be built.

McChord has long been a major cargo base for the Air Force and a gateway to the Far East. It currently is home to the 4th, 7th and 8th Airlift Squadrons, which have a combined fleet of 48 C-141s, some of which were built in the mid-1960s.

The decision to base the new planes at McChord will make Pierce County’s military bases - and their multi-million dollar payroll - nearly invulnerable to future military cutbacks, local business leaders said.

“This literally bowls me over,” said David Graybill, president of the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce.

“It’s what we’ve been working toward for at least eight years. To have them announce that 48 of these planes will be based here is absolutely spectacular. This is a very positive signal for our community and our ongoing military presence.”

Graybill said the C-17 announcement also should protect Fort Lewis from future cutbacks. The Army base is adjacent to McChord and the missions of the two bases are closely related.

Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Wash., had lobbied hard for the selection of the Boeing planes. But he said the decision to base the C-17s at McChord all but exempts the base and Fort Lewis from closure over the next 25 years.