18 June 2013 saw the first of the ten Boeing C 17 Globemaster III, ordered from the United States, touchdown in India, at Hindan airbase. With the training of the aircrew and the ground crew being conducted by the United States Air Force (USAF), the Indian Air Force accepted the delivery of the aircraft on 11 Jun 2013 at Long Beach, California. They were received by Air Marshal S Sukumar, Deputy Chief of the Air Staff at the Hindan airbase, where it would be based.
The aircraft will enhance the operational potential of the IAF with its payload carriage and performance capability and would augment the strategic reach of the Nation during disaster relief or any similar mission. The induction of C 17 is a major milestone in the modernization drive of the IAF.
