Fourth CC-177 (C-17) delivered

Canadian Air Force article:

Canada takes delivery of final CC-177

April 3, 2008

Canada's Air Force took delivery of its fourth CC-177 Gobemaster III from The Boeing Company at a ceremony today at the company's Long Beach, Calif., C-17 manufacturing facility. This completes Canada's order for the world's most advanced airlifter.

"Canada Three" and "Canada Four" will join the first two Canadian Forces CC-177s at their home at 429 Transport Squadron, 8 Wing Trenton later this spring, following final modifications at a Boeing facility in San Antonio, Texas.

"The CC-177 continues to exceed our expectations in every way: In performance, capabilities, reliability and durability," said Major General Marcel Duval, commander of 1 Canadian Air Division, Winnipeg.

"The acquisition of this strategic lift aircraft is a significant event, as it provides Canada with a world class and worldwide strategic airlift capability and provides our forces with an independent means to rapidly, reliably and flexibly move heavy equipment over vast distances. It also reduces the number of crews and stopovers required, and will alleviate the workload for the aging tactical Hercules fleet."

Capable of flying between continents and landing on short, austere runways, the C-17 is used worldwide for both military and humanitarian missions. Canada is Boeing's third international C-17 customer, following the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and the Royal Australian Air Force.

"On behalf of all of our employees, it is with tremendous pride that we deliver, on time and within budget, this world-class airlift capability that will serve the Canadian Forces well," said Dave Bowman, vice president and general manager for Boeing Global Mobility Systems.

C-17 is the designation given to the Globemaster III by The Boeing Company. CC-177 refers specifically to the Canadian Forces fleet of Globemaster III aircraft. Every CF aircraft designation starts with a "C" for Canadian, followed by a second letter describing its function, i.e. "C" for Cargo/Transport, followed by a maximum of six numbers, known as the tail number, which is specific to an aircraft. This fourth and final CC-177 aircraft's tail number, painted on the tail of the aircraft, is
CC177704.

More here, and photos here.