Spirit of Berlin

Tech. Sgt. Shane Spradlin, 437th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron flying crew chief from Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., ushers people into the C-17 Globemaster III "Spirit of Berlin" during the ILA 2010 Berlin International Aerospace Exhibition and Conferences June 9 at the Berlin-Schoenefeld Airport. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Julius Delos Reyes)

Spirit of Berlin

Visitors line up to see the C-17 Globemaster III "Spirit of Berlin" during the ILA 2010 Berlin International Aerospace Exhibition and Conferences June 9 at the Berlin-Schoenefeld Airport. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Julius Delos Reyes)

First of three C-17s for 12-nation Strategic Airlift Capability Program’s Heavy Airlift Wing

LONG BEACH, Calif.--SAC 01, the first of three C-17s to be flown by multinational aircrews from the 12-nation Strategic Airlift Capability Program’s Heavy Airlift Wing, awaits its maiden flight home from Boeing’s C-17 final assembly facility in Long Beach, Calif., to Pápa AB, Hungary. At the hands of HAW pilots from Norway, Sweden and the US, SAC 01 departed Long Beach July 14. (U.S. Air Force photo/Joseph Juarez)

C-17 displayed at NATO Riga Summit

A C-17 sits on display in Riga, Latvia, where its capabilities were displayed Nov. 27 to NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, the president of Latvia, and senior alliance military officials – including Gen. Tom Hobbins, Allied Air Component Commander and U.S. Air Forces in Europe Commander. The cargo aircraft, flown to Latvia as part of the Nov. 28-29 NATO Riga Summit by aircrew members from the 62nd Airlift Wing at McChord Air Force Base, Wash., showcased a joint initiative by 15 NATO member countries and partner country Sweden to purchase C-17 transport aircraft in order to provide strategic airlift capability for NATO and other missions, according to a NATO news release. The capability will initially comprise three C-17s, flown and maintained by multinational aircrews under the command of a multinational military structure. The aircraft will be used for missions which may be purely national in character but could also be allocated to NATO operations or for United Nations, European Union or other international purposes such as humanitarian relief.