Aircraft Deal Deserves Scrutiny

Most of the equipment is much needed. Liberals first promised supply ships, making the Conservative commitment really just a confirmation, while the Hercules and truck fleets are long past their prime. A controversial exception is the giant C-17 Globemaster strategic lift aircraft that Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor, a former industry lobbyist, is as anxious to buy as the U.S. government, and of course Boeing, is to sell. It will cost more than $3 billion to buy and maintain a fleet of four, which is arguably too small to maximize efficiency while definitely too big for existing hangars and support. But the real costs don't end there. In opting for the C-17s, military planners reduced their original requirement for other priority aircraft. Officially, the argument is that a few of the bigger Boeings mean the forces need fewer of the smaller planes central to Chief of Defence Staff Rick Hillier's vision of a lighter, faster and more tactical fighting force. That argument has strengths, but would be more convincing if those with an interest in the purchase weren't trying so hard to prove the aircraft's usefulness. http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1152309009577&call_pageid=970599109774&col=Columnist969907626423

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