The U.S. government will provide support for the U.K. government’s fleet of eight Boeing-built C-17 Globemaster III military transport aircraft over a five-year period under a foreign military sales agreement signed on Aug. 31 at the Defense Security Cooperation Agency’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.
The Royal Air Force, which uses C-17 to support disaster relief, humanitarian assistance and other missions, recently employed the aircraft to evacuate British and Afghan nationals from Afghanistan, DSCA said Monday.
“Recent global events have demonstrated just how important the C-17 fleet is to defense, and this new support agreement means C-17 can continue providing uninterrupted service anywhere in the world where it is needed,” said Richard Murray, director air support at the U.K. government’s defense equipment and support office.
Jed Royal, deputy director at DSCA, said the C-17 program seeks to ensure strategic airlift capability for the U.K. government and highlights the mutual defense cooperation between the two countries.
