RAAF receives 6th C-17 aircraft
Boeing has delivered the Royal Australian Air Force’s (RAAF’s) sixth C-17 Globemaster III aircraft five months after the contract signing in June. The airlifter will be assigned to No. 36 Squadron at RAAF Base Amberley near Brisbane, where it will enhance the force’s ability to support military, humanitarian and peacekeeping operations.
Boeing cited the strong cooperation between the US and Australian governments as a factor in the company’s ability to deliver the aircraft so quickly. Boeing will now continue to provide after-delivery support to the RAAF C-17 fleet as part of the C-17 Globemaster III Integrated Sustainment Program (GISP) Performance-Based Logistics agreement with the US Air Force. The GISP ‘virtual fleet’ arrangement provides the highest airlift mission-capable rate at one of the lowest costs per flying hour.
RAAF Chief of Air Force, Air Marshal Geoff Brown, said: ‘I am delighted to accept the sixth C-17 on behalf of the RAAF. 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.’
Bob Ciesla, vice president, Airlift, and C-17 program manager, added: ‘The C-17 symbolizes the strength and the enduring nature of the partnership between Boeing and the Commonwealth of Australia. We look forward to supporting the RAAF and this aircraft as we do the five other C-17s at Amberley’.
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