Editing Boeing C-17 Globemaster III (section)

===Royal Air Force===
[[File:C17 Transport Aircraft Taking Off from RAF Brize Norton MOD 45156519.jpg|thumb|RAF C-17 taking off from RAF Brize Norton]]

Boeing marketed the C-17 to many European nations including Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom. The [[Royal Air Force]] (RAF) has established an aim of having interoperability and some weapons and capabilities commonality with the USAF. The 1998 [[Strategic Defence Review]] identified a requirement for a strategic airlifter. The Short-Term Strategic Airlift competition commenced in September of that year, but the tender was canceled in August 1999 with some bids identified by ministers as too expensive, including the Boeing/[[British Aerospace|BAe]] C-17 bid, and others unsuitable.<ref name=business>O'Connell, Dominic. "Political clash haunts MoD deal decision." ''The Business (Sunday Business Group)'', 5 December 1999.</ref> The project continued, with the C-17 seen as the favorite.<ref name=business/> In the light of [[Airbus A400M]] delays, the UK [[Secretary of State for Defence]], [[Geoff Hoon]], announced in May 2000 that the RAF would lease four C-17s at an annual cost of [[Pound sterling|£]]100 million from Boeing<ref name=avweek_20060313/> for an initial seven years with an optional two-year extension. The RAF had the option to buy or return the aircraft to Boeing. The UK committed to upgrading its C-17s in line with the USAF so that if they were returned, the USAF could adopt them. The lease agreement restricted the C-17's operational use, meaning that the RAF could not use them for para-drop, airdrop, rough field, low-level operations and air to air refueling.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thinkdefence.co.uk/2012/09/the-airbus-a400m-atlas-part-1-background-progress-and-c130j-or-c17-options/|title=The Airbus A400M Atlas – Part 1 (Background, Progress and Options)|date=4 September 2012|work=Think Defence|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160506215911/http://www.thinkdefence.co.uk/2012/09/the-airbus-a400m-atlas-part-1-background-progress-and-c130j-or-c17-options/|archive-date=6 May 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

The first C-17 was delivered to the RAF at Boeing's Long Beach facility on 17 May 2001 and flown to [[RAF Brize Norton]] by a crew from [[No. 99 Squadron RAF|No. 99 Squadron]]. The RAF's fourth C-17 was delivered on 24 August 2001. The RAF aircraft were some of the first to take advantage of the new center wing fuel tank found in Block 13 aircraft. In RAF service, the C-17 has not been given an [[British military aircraft designation systems|official service name and designation]] (for example, C-130J referred to as Hercules C4 or C5), but is referred to simply as the C-17 or "C-17A Globemaster". Although it was to be a fallback for the A400M, the [[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Defence]] (MoD) announced on 21 July 2004 that they had elected to buy their four C-17s at the end of the lease,<ref>[http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/review-turns-up-the-heat-on-eurofighter-186087/ "Review turns up the heat on eurofighter"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130729091343/http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/review-turns-up-the-heat-on-eurofighter-186087/ |date=29 July 2013}}. ''Flight International'', 22 July 2004.</ref> though the A400M appeared to be closer to production. The C-17 gives the RAF strategic capabilities that it would not wish to lose, for example a maximum payload of {{convert|169500|lb|kg}} compared to the A400M's {{convert|82000|lb|kg}}.<ref name=avweek_20060313/> The C-17's capabilities allow the RAF to use it as an airborne hospital for [[medical evacuation]] missions.<ref>"[http://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-air-hospital The Air Hospital] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121107000045/http://www.channel4.com/programmes/the-air-hospital |date=7 November 2012}}" ''[[Channel 4]]'', 25 March 2010. Retrieved: 10 October 2012.</ref>

Another C-17 was ordered in August 2006, and delivered on 22 February 2008. The four leased C-17s were to be purchased later in 2008.<ref>Hoyle, Craig. [http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2008/04/07/222815/pictures-uk-receives-fifth-c-17-as-raf-fleet-passes-40000-flight.html "UK receives fifth C-17, as RAF fleet passes 40,000 flight hours."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081206104455/http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2008/04/07/222815/pictures-uk-receives-fifth-c-17-as-raf-fleet-passes-40000-flight.html |date=6 December 2008}} ''FlightGlobal.com'', 14 April 2008.</ref> Due to fears that the A400M may suffer further delays, the MoD announced in 2006 that it planned to acquire three more C-17s, for a total of eight, with delivery in 2009–2010.<ref name=UK_6th>[http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceNews/EquipmentAndLogistics/BrownePurchaseOfExtraC17WillsignificantlyBoostUkMilitaryOperations.htm "Browne: Purchase of extra C-17 will 'significantly boost' UK military operations."] ''UK Ministry of Defence'', 27 July 2007. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120218215956/http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceNews/EquipmentAndLogistics/BrownePurchaseOfExtraC17WillsignificantlyBoostUkMilitaryOperations.htm |date=18 February 2012}}</ref> On 3 December 2007, the MoD announced a contract for a sixth C-17,<ref>[http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceNews/EquipmentAndLogistics/RafGetsSixthC17Globemaster.htm "RAF gets sixth C-17 Globemaster."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071211202144/http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/DefenceNews/EquipmentAndLogistics/RafGetsSixthC17Globemaster.htm |date=11 December 2007}} ''UK Ministry of Defence'', 4 December 2007.</ref> which was received on 11 June 2008.<ref>
[http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2008/q2/080611c_nr.html "Boeing delivers 6th C-17 to Royal Air Force."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080617105332/http://www.boeing.com/news/releases/2008/q2/080611c_nr.html |date=17 June 2008}} ''Boeing'', 11 June 2008.
</ref> On 18 December 2009, Boeing confirmed that the RAF had ordered a seventh C-17,<ref name=7th_C-17>Drelling, Jerry and Madonna Walsh. [http://boeing.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=1000 "Royal Air Force to Acquire 7th Boeing C-17 Globemaster III."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091221175104/http://boeing.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=1000 |date=21 December 2009}} ''Boeing'', 17 December 2009.</ref> which was delivered on 16 November 2010.<ref name=RAF_Boeing_C-17s>Drelling, Jerry and Madonna Walsh. [http://boeing.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=1523 "Boeing delivers UK Royal Air Force's 7th C-17 Globemaster III."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101123124605/http://boeing.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=1523 |date=23 November 2010}} ''Boeing'', 16 November 2010.</ref> The UK announced the purchase of its eighth C-17 in February 2012.<ref>Hoyle, Craig. [http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/uk-to-buy-eighth-c-17-transport-367960/ "UK to buy eighth C-17 transport"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120213095909/http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/uk-to-buy-eighth-c-17-transport-367960/ |date=13 February 2012}}. ''Flight International'', 8 February 2012.</ref> The RAF showed interest in buying a ninth C-17 in November 2013.<ref>[https://archive.today/20131125170114/http://www.defensenews.com/article/20131124/DEFREG01/311240001/UK-Shows-Interest-Buying-Another-C-17 "UK Shows Interest in Buying Another C-17"] ''DefenseNews'' 24 November 2013.</ref>

On 13 January 2013, the RAF deployed two C-17s from RAF Brize Norton to the French [[Évreux-Fauville Air Base|Évreux Air Base]], transporting French armored vehicles to the Malian capital of [[Bamako]] during the [[Mali War#Battle of Konna and French intervention|French intervention in Mali]].<ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21004040 |date=13 January 2013 |title=Mali: RAF C17 cargo plane to help French operation |publisher=BBC News |access-date=20 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181002070412/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21004040 |archive-date=2 October 2018 |url-status=live}}</ref> In June 2015, an RAF C-17 was used to medically evacuate four victims of the [[2015 Sousse attacks]] from Tunisia.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-33322789 |title=Tunisia attack: Injured Britons flown home by RAF |publisher= BBC News |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160626082813/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-33322789 |archive-date=26 June 2016 |url-status=live |date=30 June 2015}}</ref> On 13 September 2022, C-17 [[United Kingdom military aircraft serial numbers|ZZ177]] carried the body of Queen [[Elizabeth II]] from [[Edinburgh Airport]] to [[RAF Northolt]] in London. She had been lying in state at [[St Giles' Cathedral]] in Edinburgh, Scotland.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-62900494 |title=Queen Elizabeth II: Flight carrying coffin most tracked plane in history |publisher= BBC News |date=14 September 2022}}</ref>