The Royal Australian Air Force has taken delivery of its sixth and final C-17 Globemaster transport in a ceremony at Boeing’s Long Beach, California factory on November 1.
The airflifter will join five already in service with 36 Squadron at RAAF Amberley.
“I am delighted to accept the sixth C-17 on behalf of the Royal Australian Air Force,” Chief of Air Force Air Marshal Geoff Brown said. “The C-17 is a capability that has improved Australia’s reach locally, regionally and globally. Individually, the aircraft is impressive – but as a fleet, it has fundamentally enhanced our strategic airlift agility to meet the Australian Defence Force Air Mobility requirements.”
The decision to acquire a a sixth C-17 was confirmed in March this year, after it was first flagged by Defence Minister Stephen Smith at the delivery ceremony for the fifth C-17 at RAAF Amberley in September 2011. Boeing says the “contract was completed on June 6 and now Boeing has delivered the aircraft less than five months later, due to the strong cooperation among the Australian and US governments working with the Boeing team.”
Boeing has now delivered 248 C-17s worldwide, including 218 to the US Air Force.
