Around 50 new jobs will be created at RAF Brize Norton after the MOD announced a £400million investment for the C-17 Globemaster aircraft and the Chinook helicopter.

The new jobs take the total to around 100 employed on site to provide maintenance and logistics for the C-17 fleet.

The fleet – which recently played a key role in the UK’s evacuation from Afghanistan – will receive a £324 million investment.

This will upgrade software and hardware to improve airlift capability as part of a contract with the US Air Force.

The new agreement also provides continued support to the C-17 under a ‘Virtual Fleet’ concept where the UK and eight other nations who operate the aircraft have access to cost-effective and efficient support, as well as additional spare equipment, parts and resources.

The C-17 Globemaster III (Globemaster C-17) is a long-range, heavy-lift strategic transport aircraft that can operate close to a potential area of operations for combat, peacekeeping or humanitarian missions worldwide.

The UK’s fleet of Mk5 and Mk6 Chinook helicopters will also be enhanced with state-of-the-art defensive systems, as part of a £64 million contract with Boeing Defence UK which will make them harder to detect to adversaries.