India receives first C-17

• Tweet

LONG BEACH, Calif., Jan. 23 (UPI) -- The first of 10 C-17 Globemaster III airlifters for the Indian air force has been delivered by Boeing and is set for a U.S. Air Force flight testing.

"The C-17 met the stipulated airlift requirements of the Indian air force when it flew field evaluation trials in India during June 2010," said Air Commodore Sanjay Nimesh, air attache at the Embassy of India. "It was exciting to see the C-17 fly again, this time with Indian air force markings ..."

India and the United States signed an agreement in 2011 for the procurement of the aircraft. Boeing said four more C-17s will be delivered to the Indian air force this year and five others in 2014.

Once deliveries are complete, India will be the largest C-17 customer outside the United States. Among countries flying the airlifter are Australia, Canada, India, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Britain.

Boeing said it will support India's C-17 fleet through the company's Globemaster III Integrated Sustainment Program Performance-based Logistics contract.