Boeing to cut 1,100 jobs in C-17 program

US aerospace giant Boeing said Thursday it will cut about 1,100 jobs over the next two years as it slows production of its C-17 military transport aircraft.

Boeing said it would deliver 13 C-17s in 2011, one less than the prior year, as it moves to a new annual production rate of 10.

"Boeing will reduce the production program's work force by approximately 1,100 jobs through the end of 2012," the Chicago-based firm said in statement.

The transition to the new production rate was announced in February 2010.

The long-haul military cargo C-17, which is in its 18th year of service, can carry large equipment, supplies and troops directly to small airfields, the company says.

"The fleet continues to operate at an accelerated rate due to the recent troop surge in Afghanistan," Boeing said.

"It achieved two million total flight hours in December, less than five years after it passed the one-million-flight-hour mark."read more