Guys,don't shoot the postman please! I haven't offered it to the GOI,it is the manufacturers who have! Why not take a look-"nothing ventured,nothing gained",after all the aircraft has emerged,is flying while the MTA has yet to emerge and will do so only aftre the A-400 is in production.I read a piece recently,where Boeing says that the time taken for manufacturing a C-17 is "37" months.Even if the orders are given now,the new aircraft will only emerge later on.
I do have a positive alternative though,just to show members that I am objective in my outlook,If we need the C-17,why can't we lease out C-17s from the huge stock that the USAF has? They have enough and more,"no more" said Gates.If Boeing can provide us with USAF C-17s on lease in the interim while new ones are being manufactured,it would help the IAF right now with its vast obligations.A lease also puts the onus on the operational capability of the aircraft on the owner/manufacturer with respect to spares after-sales support, maintenance,etc.I can't undersatnd why this option hasn't been thought of as NATO leases out AN-124s.Just take a dekko as to who is leasing An-124s,NATO,Germany +18 countries ,Atlas-V launch vehicles shipped and...C-17 manufacturers Boeing too!
AN-124 lease details:
Antonov 124
The Antonov An-124 Ruslan (NATO reporting name: Condor) is the largest aircraft ever mass produced, and was, until the advent of the Antonov An-225, the largest aircraft in production. It flew for the first time in 1982. Over forty are currently in service in Russia and Ukraine.
Physically, the An-124 is similar to the American Lockheed C-5 Galaxy, but is larger in many dimensions. An-124s have been used to carry locomotives, yachts, aircraft fuselages, and a variety of other oversized cargoes. Up to 150 tonnes of cargo can be carried in a military An-124: it can also carry 88 passengers in an upper deck behind the cockpit.
Germany intends to lease An-124s for NATO strategic airlift requirements as a stopgap until the Airbus A400M is available. Boeing also has used the Russian cargo company Volga-Dnepr to ship oversize aircraft components to their Everett plant with their An-124 fleet. Specifically, the An-124 is the only means of airlifting the General Electric GE90 turbofan engines used in the Boeing 777 airliner.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antonov_An-124
In May 2008, at the Berlin Air Show, it was reported that the governments of Russia and Ukraine were closing in on final details to restart production of the An-124. The new variant, to be known as the An-124-150, will feature several new features including a maximum lift capacity of 150 tonnes.[9] However, an announcement by Antonov's partner, United Aircraft Corporation in May 2009 does not include any planned production for An-124s in the period 2009 – 2012.[10] In late 2009, it was reported that Russian President Dmitry Medvedev ordered production of the aircraft resumed. It is expected that Russia will be purchasing 20 new aircraft.[11]
The plane has an on-board overhead crane capable of lifting up to 30tons of cargo, and items up to 120tons can be winched on board.[12] Some planes have a limit of 20tons for the crane.[13
More lease details:
A Volga-Dnepr An-124 at Southern California Logistics Airport in Victorville, California.Germany led the recent effort to lease An-124s for NATO strategic airlift requirements. Two aircraft are leased from SALIS GmbH as a stopgap until the Airbus A400M is available.[14] Under NATO SALIS programme NAMSA is chartering six An-124-100 transport aircraft. According to the contract An-124-100s of Antonov Airlines and Volga-Dnepr are used within the limits of NATO SALIS programme to transport cargo by requests of 18 countries: Belgium, Hungary, Greece, Denmark, Canada, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Norway, United Kingdom, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Finland, France, Germany, Czech Republic and Sweden. Two An-124-100s are constantly based on full-time charter in the airport of Leipzig/Halle, but in case of necessity two more aircraft are to be provided on six days notice and another two on nine days notice.[15] The current contract is valid until 31 December 2010. The aircraft proved extremely useful for NATO especially with ongoing operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.[16]
Russian cargo company Volga-Dnepr has contracts with Boeing to ship outsize aircraft components to their Everett plant. The An-124 is used for airlifting (in fully assembled form) the massive General Electric GE90 turbofan engines used in the Boeing 777 airliner.
United Launch Alliance contracts the An-124 to transport the Atlas V launch vehicle from its facilities near Denver to Cape Canaveral. Two flights are required to transfer each launch vehicle (one for the Atlas V main booster stage and another for the Centaur upper stage).[17]
Space Systems Loral contracts the An-124 to transport satellites from Palo Alto, CA to the Arianespace spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.[18]
Rolls-Royce contracts the Antonov An-124 to transport the Trent family engines to and from their test facilities worldwide.
Polet Airlines An-124 being loaded with 1/3 model of an Airbus A380 centre fuselage section in Emirates Airline livery.Airbus Transport International has selected another Russian cargo company, Polet Airlines as "designated carrier" to the company. Polet expects its three An-124-100s will transport astronautic equipment manufactured by EADS, which is Airbus' parent company, and full-size components of a model of the Airbus A380 superjumbo.[19] As the Rolls-Royce Trent 900 is the only A380 engine that can be transported whole in a Boeing 747F,[20] the competing Engine Alliance GP7200 needs a larger aircraft, like the An-124, if it is to be shipped in one piece.
Count me in. lal chicks rock. 
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