Long Beach (California), Oct 2 (IANS) Boeing has delivered to the US Air Force (USAF) the 203rd C-17 Globemaster III strategic airlifter, an aircraft that India is currently evaluating.

The C-17 left Long Beach Friday and is now operateing out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington state, where it is assigned to the 446th and 62nd Airlift Wings, a Boeing spokesman told India Strategic.

To date, Boeing has delivered a total of 222 C-17s – 203 to the USAF and 19 others to international customers.

India is likely to purchase 10 C-17s, with an option to buy another six.

The C-17 is the mainstay of USAF strategic operations worldwide and is also being extensively used these days to supply relief material for flood victims in Pakistan. The aircraft is configured for disaster relief and can land at short, unpaved airstrips if required.