Boeing to build 8th C-17 Globemaster III for United Kingdom

The UK Ministry of Defence has signed an agreement for the acquisition of one C-17 Globemaster III, bringing the Royal Air Force (RAF) fleet of the airlifters to a total of eight. Boeing is scheduled to deliver the eighth C-17 later this year. RAF C-17s had surpassed 50,000 flight hours in December 2009, when the UK announced its intent to purchase a seventh aircraft. By the time the seventh C-17 was delivered in November 2010, the fleet had logged more than 60,000 flight hours. The fleet has now surpassed 74,000 flight hours – a rate 15% above planned use.