Editing Boeing C-17 Globemaster III (section)

===Strategic Airlift Capability program===
[[File:Boeing C-17A Globemaster III, NATO - Strategic Airlift Capability JP6917250.jpg|thumb|One of the [[Strategic Airlift Capability]] C-17s]]

At the 2006 [[Farnborough Airshow]], a number of NATO member nations signed a [[letter of intent]] to jointly purchase and operate several C-17s within the [[Strategic Airlift Capability]] (SAC).<ref name=NATOairl>[http://www.nato.int/issues/strategic-lift-air-sac/index.html "Strategic Airlift Capability: A key capability for the Alliance."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061019125328/http://www.nato.int/issues/strategic-lift-air-sac/index.html |date=19 October 2006}} ''NATO''. Retrieved: 1 April 2010.</ref> The purchase was for two C-17s, and a third was contributed by the U.S. On 14 July 2009, Boeing delivered the first C-17 for the SAC program with the second and third C-17s delivered in September and October 2009.<ref>Hoyle, Craig. [http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2009/07/15/329668/pictures-boeing-delivers-first-c-17-for-nato-led-heavy-airlift-wing.html "Boeing delivers first C-17 for NATO-led Heavy Airlift Wing."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090718095213/http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2009/07/15/329668/pictures-boeing-delivers-first-c-17-for-nato-led-heavy-airlift-wing.html |date=18 July 2009}} ''Flight International'', 15 July 2009.</ref><ref>Drelling, Jerry and Eszter Ungar.[http://boeing.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=870 "3rd Boeing C-17 Joins 12-Nation Strategic Airlift Capability Initiative."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110919085035/http://boeing.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=870 |date=19 September 2011}} ''Boeing'', 7 October 2009.</ref> SAC members are Bulgaria, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Sweden and the U.S. as of 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |last=NATO |title=Strategic airlift |url=https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_50107.htm#SAC |access-date=2024-08-31 |website=NATO |language=en}}</ref>

The SAC C-17s are based at [[Hungarian Air Force#P.C3.A1pa AFB|Pápa Air Base]], Hungary. The Heavy Airlift Wing is hosted by Hungary, which acts as the flag nation.<ref>[http://www.heavyairliftwing.org/background "Background."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111111094857/http://www.heavyairliftwing.org/background |date=11 November 2011}} ''Heavy Airlift Wing''. Retrieved: 2 August 2012.</ref> The aircraft are crewed in similar fashion as the NATO [[E-3 Sentry|E-3]] AWACS aircraft.<ref>[http://www.e3a.nato.int/ "NATP Airborne Early Warning & Control Force: E-3A Component."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060914041659/http://www.e3a.nato.int/ |date=14 September 2006}} ''NATO''. Retrieved: 1 April 2010.</ref> The C-17 flight crew are multi-national, but each mission is assigned to an individual member nation based on the SAC's annual flight hour share agreement. The NATO Airlift Management Programme Office (NAMPO) provides management and support for the Heavy Airlift Wing. NAMPO is a part of the NATO Support Agency (NSPA).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nspa.nato.int/en/index.htm |title=Nato Support and Procurement Agency |access-date=1 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160608180109/http://www.nspa.nato.int/en/index.htm |archive-date=8 June 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> In September 2014, Boeing stated that the three C-17s supporting SAC missions had achieved a readiness rate of nearly 94 percent over the last five years and supported over 1,000 missions.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/boeing-c-17-support-effort-strategic-airlift-capability-exceeds-1000-missions/ |title=Boeing C-17 Support Effort for Strategic Airlift Capability Exceeds 1,000 Missions |work=Defensemedianetwork.com |date=7 September 2014 |access-date=1 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160322034617/http://www.defensemedianetwork.com/stories/boeing-c-17-support-effort-strategic-airlift-capability-exceeds-1000-missions/ |archive-date=22 March 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref>