In September 2000, the U.K. Royal Air Force agreed to pay $725 million for the lease of four Boeing C-17s. This was the first export order for the C-17 and, more importantly, for any Western strategic transport. The aircraft will satisfy the RAF's Short-Term Strategic Airlift requirement (STSA) and will be delivered to the RAF by September 2001. The U.K. decision is undoubtedly a huge breakthrough in the military airlifter market, which has always been undersized and overdiscussed. For once, a country is not just talking, but' spending, on strategic lift.
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