The Phoenix Rises
Abstract
The story of how this acquisition program rebounded from the brink of extinction to a model of reduced-cost and ahead-of-schedule production illustrates how determination, the use of integrated product teams, the program executive officer system, and the process approach to manufacturing can produce results. Secretary of the Air Force, Dr. Sheila Widnall, used to joke that the phrase, "the troubled C-17 program" was really all one word. Accordingly, there are many accounts describing how the C-17 "Globemaster III" airlifter program got into trouble. Surprisingly, no one has tried to capture the specifics of the even more remarkable story of how the C-17 program got out of trouble. This article will tell that story. The authors begin with a short description of the aircraft and the requirement for it. Then, to put the ultimate success of this major acquisition program in proper context, they provide a brief review of the program's troubled past. Following this review, they cover the salient events in the Pentagon, program offices, and the McDonnell Douglas plant that substantially contributed to the remarkable turnaround. The authors conclude with an in-depth look at lessons learned that could benefit other programs. The C-17 aircraft program is the U.S. Air Force's effort to develop a modern airlifter capable of meeting the worldwide air mobility needs of the DoD. In the late 1970s, the need for an aircraft capable of carrying large payloads to austere fields remained. The aircraft was specifically designed to carry modern combat weapons of U.S. ground forces directly into airfields near the conflict. This capability is known as "direct delivery." Perhaps most important, the C-17 would also provide a way to move "outsize" cargo (very large equipment like the M-1A Abrams tank, or the Multiple Launch Rocket System -- equipment that cannot fit on today's C-141s or C-130s) for inter- and intratheater airlift.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1997
- Accession Number
- ADA487960
Entities
People
- Bill Phillips
- Bud Vazquez
- Randy Davis
Organizations
- Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy