Sixth C-17 Delivered to UAE

Boeing has announced that it has delivered the sixth United Arab Emirates (UAE) C-17 Globemaster III to the UAE Air Force and Air Defence earlier this month. The company announced the delivery in a 20th June, 2012 statement.

According to Boeing, the delivery completes an agreement announced in January 2010, for six advanced airlifters to modernise the UAE's transport capabilities. Boeing delivered four C-17s to the UAE in 2011 and a fifth aircraft in May.

The C-17's is able to fly long distances and land in remote airfields in rough, land-locked regions, making it a good match for military, humanitarian and peacekeeping transportation requirements. The aircraft has a full payload of 164,900 pounds, and can fly 2,400 nautical miles and land in 3,000 feet or less on a small unpaved or paved airfield, day or night.

As part of the C-17 Globemaster III Integrated Sustainment Programme (GISP) Performance-Based Logistics agreement with the US Air Force, Boeing provides after-delivery support to the UAE C-17 fleet. The GISP provides all C-17 customers an affordable sustainment solution that includes the C-17 ‘virtual fleet’ arrangement where all participants benefit from the economies of scale found in purchasing materials for the fleet.