[RayChuang88]

At the rate things are going the Europeans ought to seriously look at dropping the A400M and just buy 180 C-17's built to European specifications (e.g., drogue-and-probe in-flight refueling and Rolls-Royce RB.211-535E4 engines). After all, the Royal Air Force "bit the bullet" and bought the CFM56-powered E-3 Sentry when the BAe Nimrod AEW. 3 proved to be unworkable.

[cmdr straker]

The Brits and Nato have already bought standard C-17’s. so have the Ausies and Canada.

[Paleo Conservative]

At the rate things are going the Europeans ought to seriously look at dropping the A400M and just buy 180 C-17's built to European specifications

Of course with an order that big, it would make sense for Boeing to also develop a stretched, higher gross weight, longer ranged version that could be used to replace the C-5A's.