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Nicholson said he expects the C-17 to arrive in Canada sometime in the spring.

Canada has already purchased four C-17s from Boeing. The Royal Canadian Air Force refers to the aircraft as the CC-177.

The Department of National Defence could not provide a breakdown of how the $415 million was being spent but a spokesman noted that it includes the cost of the aircraft, some spare parts, and the cost to run a small project office.

Boeing could not respond to questions about the cost of the aircraft. “We are pleased with Canada’s announcement and stand ready to deliver an additional C-17 to continue to meet the ongoing airlift requirements of the Royal Canadian Air Force,” noted company spokesman Scott Day in an emailed statement. “C-17s are unmatched in their ability to transport troops or heavy cargo, to support airdrop and aeromedical evacuations, and to deliver humanitarian aid virtually anywhere.”

The RCAF started lobbying the government in 2012 for the purchase of an additional C-17. Senior officers pointed out that they believed the purchase was affordable. At the time, they estimated the additional aircraft would cost $169 million U.S., according to DND documents obtained by The Canadian Press.

The DND noted that the additional Globemaster C-17 would ease the burden on the current fleet and extend the life expectancy of the entire fleet by about seven and a half years.

With the purchase of an additional aircraft, the RCAF is projected to have at least three such aircraft available more than 90 per cent of the time to respond to concurrent international or domestic crises, it added. This represents an increase of approximately 25 per cent, according to the department.

Nicholson said the RCAF has made a lot of use of the C-17s. They have been used to move supplies to the Canadian military in Kuwait for the Iraq mission. They have also moved equipment and supplies for Canadian military personnel stationed in Lithuania as part of the NATO response to Russia’s actions in Ukraine.

An RCAF C-17 was also used to move French military supplies to Mali in support of the French mission against insurgents there.