Boeing delivered the Royal Australian Air Force’s sixth C-17 transport during a ceremony at the company’s assembly facility in Long Beach, Calif. The RAAF will assign this airlifter to No. 36 Squadron at RAAF Base Amberley near Brisbane, according to Boeing’s Nov. 1 release. Amberley is home to the RAAF’s C-17 fleet. “I am delighted to accept the sixth C-17 on behalf of the Royal Australian Air Force,” said RAAF Chief of Air Force Air Marshal Geoff Brown. He added, “The C-17 is a capability that has improved Australia’s reach locally, regionally, and globally. Individually, the aircraft is impressive—but as a fleet, it has fundamentally enhanced our strategic airlift agility to meet the Australian defense force air mobility requirements.” The Pentagon awarded Boeing the foreign military sales contract for this aircraft in June. With this delivery, Boeing said it has now supplied 248 C-17s worldwide, including 218 to the US Air Force and 30 to international customers.
The Pentagon has concluded a new agreement to buy laser-guidance kits that turn rockets into drone-killing weapons. BAE Systems and the Defense Department announced a framework deal of up to seven years for 25,000 Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System guidance kits annually for the U.S. military.