In September 2000, the U.K. Royal Air Force agreed to pay $725 million for the lease of four Boeing C-17s. This was the first export order for the C-17 and, more importantly, for any Western strategic transport. The aircraft will satisfy the RAF's Short-Term Strategic Airlift requirement (STSA) and will be delivered to the RAF by September 2001. The U.K. decision is undoubtedly a huge breakthrough in the military airlifter market, which has always been undersized and overdiscussed. For once, a country is not just talking, but spending, on strategic lift.

There are signs that the trainer market, long considered dormant, may again come to life. Fleets are aging, and despite several trends mitigating against market growth, requirements are still in place. Several important trainer competitions have been announced, most notably in Turkey.

Jet engine manufacturers can truly say they've been to hell and back. The past decade has seen a drastic simultaneous civil and military aviation downturn, coupled with vicious market share wars and unprecedented demands on development funding.