The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) has granted the City of Long Beach a $3.9 million grant to help mitigate the economic loss of Boeing’s C-17 production plant, which according to company officials is set to officially close by the end of the year.

 

The last C-17 built in Long Beach, known as #279, is expected to depart in a final “farewell flyaway” in November, according to Tiffany Pitts, spokesperson for Boeing’s soon-to-be-closed C-17 program. A firm date has yet to be confirmed, she said.

 

The grant provides funding for the city to come up with a comprehensive “transition plan” for the assembly plant, the surrounding site, the operation’s workforce and impacted businesses in the region, according to a statement from the city.

 

“This is a unique opportunity to turn the closure of the C-17 plant into a transformative moment for the City of Long Beach,” Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia said in the statement. “The investment made by the department of defense will help strengthen Long Beach’s economy and solidify our city’s role as a leader in industry and innovation.”

 

According to city officials, the city plans to engage a number of stakeholders, industry leaders and workforce representatives to develop a “vision for the property that restores employment and building on Long Beach’s rich history as a manufacturing leader.”

 

Fifth District Councilmember Stacy Mungo stated that the U.S. DOD grant would help the city bring business development opportunities to the site and find innovative ways to “catalyze a new workforce.”

 

The two-year project is to be developed and administered in partnership with the city’s Pacific Gateway Workforce Development Board and will focus on future uses for the C-17 plant and surrounding site; diversifying the regional supply chain for continued growth; and development of a workforce skills platform to assist impacted workers looking to transition into new employment.

 

The city has already started reaching out to industry, education and economic leaders to begin developing the plan, city officials stated. Outreach efforts include opportunities for community input; various studies and analyses on potential site usage; and a broad effort to engage and support businesses connected to the C-17 supply chain.

 

The U.S. DOD’s Office of Economic Adjustment, which provided the grant, helps communities adjust to defense industry cutbacks, base closures and other impacts caused by changes in military operations.

 

The final C-17, #279, will be flying out next month to San Antonio and will be delivered to Qatar from there because of congressional notification timelines, Pitts said.

 

After Boeing announced the decision in 2013 to shutdown the C-17 assembly plant because of insufficient domestic and foreign orders, incremental plant shutdown began in mid-2014 in anticipation of the last production aircraft being completed this year.

 

Lasting for more than two decades, the program delivered 223 C-17s to the United States Air Force and 48 to international customers. The C-17 final assembly facility will close after the last production aircraft flies away.

 

There are no plans for continued production at the C-17 assembly facility, Boeing officials confirmed. However, other nearby buildings and businesses with Boeing operations will remain in Long Beach, including support for the C-17 Globemaster III Integrated Sustainment Program (GISP), Commercial Aviation Services and other functions, Pitts stated.

 

Boeing will continue after-delivery support of the worldwide C-17 fleet as part of the (GISP) Performance-Based Logistics agreement. The GISP “virtual fleet” arrangement provides the highest airlift mission-capable rate at one of the lowest costs per flying hour, Boeing officials said.