1:00pm | Reports from the Press-Telegram and Los Angeles Times today indicate that Boeing will slow production of the C-17 cargo aircraft at its Long Beach facility due to weakening demand, which will impact some of the approximately 5,000 local jobs that depend on the plane.

Production will be cut by nearly one-third beginning in 2011, according to the reports.  In recent months, Boeing has said that they will focus on international sales to foreign nations.  The United Arab Emirates purchased six planes in January and India expressed strong interest shortly thereafter. 

However, the United States Department of Defense in February called to eliminate C-17 orders from their upcoming budget.  Boeing then told the staging-live.lbpost.com that their future efforts would focus on private sales like those made with the United Arab Emirates.