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October 14, 2001

The Air Force wants commercial airlines to buy C-17 transports for non-military use. The plan would not only give the Air Force a cheaper price on its C-17s (due to larger production runs) but would create a Civil Reserve fleet that would be far more useful than current commercial cargo planes. Under the plan, a cargo carrier or airline would be found to buy ten BC-17s (the civilian version of the C-17) and the Air Force would guarantee them cargo-carrying contracts. The Air Force wants the deal to include buying the planes back (in place of the final C-17s) if the commercial venture doesn't work out.--Stephen V Cole