$1B C-17 benefit for British companies

LONDON, Feb. 11 (UPI) -- British companies have received more than $1 billion in benefits from Boeing Defense UK under a C-17 Globemaster III industrial participation program.

The program is connected to the first five of seven Globemasters operated by the British air force.

"Boeing has been a partner to the United Kingdom for more than 70 years, serving the needs of its commercial airplane customers and Britain's military," said Mike Kurth, managing director, Boeing Defense UK.

"Boeing is a major contributor to the local economy. The company has spent more than $17 billion over the past eight years, working with more than 300 partners and suppliers that bring thousands of high-value, long-term jobs to the U.K."

Among the British companies that contribute to Boeing's C-17 program are BAE Systems; CAV Aerospace Llantrisant; Eaton Aerospace; GE Aviation Systems; GKN Aerospace; Goodrich Actuation Systems; and IPECO.

Boeing said work on the C-17 program for Britain, along with Boeing's continued partnership with the University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Center, helped fulfill C-17 U.K. IP obligations.

As part of this program, Boeing provides marketing assistance to help a number of U.K. small and medium-sized enterprises identify new market opportunities across the Boeing Company, as well as with its extended network of suppliers.

Boeing said it is bringing another $1.1 billion in opportunities to U.K. industry through IP programs associated with the British air force's sixth and seventh C-17 aircraft, the AH-64 Apache Integrated Operational Support program, the CH-47 Chinook Through-Life Customer Support program and the Project Julius Chinook Mk4 upgrade program.