India’s Ministry of Defence has signed an agreement with the U.S. government to acquire 10 Boeing C-17 Globemaster III airlifters. The Foreign Military Sale — approved by the U.S. Congress in May 2010 — establishes India as the C-17’s largest international customer. According to the agreement, India will take delivery of its C-17s in 2013 and 2014.
Boeing will support India’s C-17 fleet through the C-17 Globemaster III Sustainment Partnership, a proven multinational Performance-Based Logistics program. The GSP “virtual fleet” arrangement ensures mission readiness by providing all C-17 customers — with varied fleet sizes — access to an extensive support network for worldwide parts availability and economies of scale when purchasing materials.