To ask Her Majesty's Government how many hours in aggregate have the C-17s operated by the Royal Air Force flown; how many are planned for 2009–10; when each of them is anticipated to reach the end of its flying life; and what plans they have for further acquisition of C-17s. [HL3797]

Between the 1 May 2001, when the fleet first came into service, and 31 March 2009 the Royal Air Force's C-17 aircraft of which there are now six, have completed a total of 48,824 flying hours. Planned flying hours for 2009-10 are 7,847, however, the final figure of actual flying hours may differ. The planned out-of-service date for the fleet is 2031, and there are no plans currently to procure further aircraft.