Britain’s seventh and final C-17 transport has entered service with the Royal Air Force at RAF Brize Norton, in Oxfordshire, England. British Prime Minister David Cameron last week welcomed the aircraft during a ceremony at the base. The aircraft joins 99 Squadron; RAF officials anticipate that it will join airlift support of forces in Afghanistan next month. “The RAF’s C-17 fleet has provided outstanding service in support of operations and humanitarian relief efforts,” said British Defense Secretary Liam Fox. In fact, the British fleet has already amassed 65,000 flying hours, said Fox. “The RAF uses its C-17s more than any other service today,” noted Boeing’s UK C-17 program manager Liz Pace in the company’s release. Boeing delivered the aircraft to the RAF in November, within a year of the RAF’s order. The aircraft then underwent final modification at Boeing’s San Antonio facility. (Brize Norton release)
The Air Force and Boeing agreed to a nearly $2.4 billion contract for a new lot of KC-46 aerial tankers on Nov. 21. The deal, announced by the Pentagon, is for 15 new aircraft in Lot 11 at a cost of $2.389 billion—some $159 million per tail.