17 November 2010
The Royal Air Force has taken delivery of its seventh C-17 Globemaster during a ceremony at Boeing's final assembly facility in Long Beach, California.
RAF C-17s have logged more than 60,000 flight hours to date, and this year the transporter aircraft have supported humanitarian and disaster-relief missions to Pakistan, Haiti and Chile, as well as supporting operations in Afghanistan.
"The addition of a seventh C-17 to our fleet is a significant milestone that strengthens our support of operations worldwide, especially in Afghanistan," defence procurement minister Peter Luff said.
"And next year, in May, we'll mark the 10th anniversary of the delivery of the RAF's first C-17, which continues to perform superbly."
Assigned to 99 Squadron at RAF Brize Norton, C-17s provide airlift capability for the Joint Rapid Reaction Force.
Boeing has now delivered 224 C-17s worldwide, 204 of which are operated by the US Air Force.
Other customers include Canada, Australia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and the 12-member Strategic Airlift Capability initiative of NATO and Partnership for Peace nations. |