Boeing has awarded Ducommun AeroStructures a follow-on contract to provide fuselage skins for C-17 Globemaster III airlifters for the US Air Force.

The C-17 transport aircraft developed by Boeing are used by the US Air Force and the 12-nation SAC consortium to support military, humanitarian, disaster-relief and peacekeeping missions.

Ducommun will use its specialised capabilities during the fuselage skins production in stretch forming, chemical milling and machining to produce the over-sized metallic components for the airlifter.

According to the contract, Ducommun AeroStructures will manufacture fuselage skins for C-17s at its DAS Gardena facility through the fourth quarter of 2010.