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LONG BEACH, CALIFORNIA (BNS): US aerospace major, Boeing, has handed over the fifth C-17 Globemaster III airlifter to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).

A RAAF delegation led by Stephen Smith, Australia’s Minister for Defence, received the country’s latest C-17 during a ceremony at the C-17 program’s final assembly facility in Long Beach.

The event was attended by Chief of the Defence Force Gen. David Hurley, Australian Secretary of Defence Duncan Lewis, and US Ambassador to Australia Jeffrey Bleich, a Boeing release said Wednesday.

Australian C-17s were part of the relief mission to Japan following a devastating earthquake and tsunami earlier this year. The fleet delivered more than 1 million pounds of cargo, including water cannons to help cool the damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant.

RAAF C-17s also conducted relief operations following a major earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand, and floods in Pakistan and Australia.

In April, Australia announced the signing of an agreement with the US government to acquire its fifth C-17. The US Air Force approved the Foreign Military Sale and assigned a C-17 already in production to be delivered to the RAAF.

The C-17 provides the RAAF with the capability to airlift large payloads across intercontinental distances and transport combat-ready troops to remote locations, by either landing or airdropping them directly where needed.

The C-17’s unique maneuverability allows it to operate on narrow taxiways and congested ramps. With a maximum payload of 164,900 pounds (74,797 kg), the C-17 can take off and land on runway space measuring 3,000 feet (914.4 m) or less.