Boeing

The U.S. Air Force accepted its 56th Boeing C-17 Globemaster III cargo airplane in a brief ceremony here Saturday. Major General George Williams, director of Operations at the U.S. Air Force's Air Mobility Command, flew the new airlifter to McChord Air Force Base, Wash., the C-17 fleet's newest home base.

The event marked the 44th consecutive C-17 delivered ahead of schedule by Boeing Airlift and Tanker Programs, recipient of the 1998 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.

More than 1,100 C-17 missions have been flown in support of on-going efforts in Kosovo, transporting more than 100 million pounds of cargo.

McChord will continue to receive a new C-17 from the Boeing Long Beach assembly facility about once each month, until a full complement of 48 of the versatile airlifters has been delivered.

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