On June 15 2009, Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal P.V. Naik said to India Strategic defence magazine that IAF chooses Boeing’s latest C-17 as its new Very Heavy Lift Transport Aircraft (VHTAC). The decision to get C-17 was taken after a thorough study, but Naik said that the aircraft was chosen because of its capability to take off and land on short runways with heavy loads, long range, and ease of operation. India is looking to acquire 10 C-17s initially through the US government’s Foreign Military Sales (FMS) route.