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        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders   B-Roll of C-17 Globemaster (U.S. Air Force)
                
                
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        Staff Sgt. John Eller conducts pre-flights check on his C-17 Globemaster III Jan. 3 prior to taking off from Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii for a local area training mission.  Sgt. Eller is a loadmaster from the 535th Airlift Squadron. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Shane A. Cuomo)Staff Sgt. John Eller conducts pre-flights check on his C-17 Globemaster III Jan. 3 prior to taking off from Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii for a local area training mission.  Sgt. Eller is a loadmaster from the 535th Airlift Squadron. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Shane A. Cuomo)
                
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        C-17 Globemaster IIIA U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III from the 6th Airlift Squadron, 305th Air Mobility Wing taxis after landing at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, N.J., Oct. 16, 2017. The C-17 can perform tactical airlift and airdrop missions and can transport litters and ambulatory patients during aeromedical evacuations when required. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Master Sgt. Matt Hecht)
                
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        NORTH CAROLINA -- A C-17 Globemaster III from the 437th Air Wing, Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., flies away from a KC-10 Extender after being refueled off the coast of North Carolina.  During Rodeo 2000, teams from all over the world will compete in areas including airdrop, aerial refueling, aircraft navigation, special tactics, short field landings, cargo loading, engine running on/offloads, aeromedical evacuations and security forces operations. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Sean M. Worrell)NORTH CAROLINA -- A C-17 Globemaster III from the 437th Air Wing, Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., flies away from a KC-10 Extender after being refueled off the coast of North Carolina.  During Rodeo 2000, teams from all over the world will compete in areas including airdrop, aerial refueling, aircraft navigation, special tactics, short field landings, cargo loading, engine running on/offloads, aeromedical evacuations and security forces operations. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Sean M. Worrell)
                
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        AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy  --  A C-17 Globemaster III takes off from here bound for McChord Air Force Base, Wash., after transiting through Italy.  (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Mitch Fuqua)AVIANO AIR BASE, Italy  --  A C-17 Globemaster III takes off from here bound for McChord Air Force Base, Wash., after transiting through Italy.  (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Mitch Fuqua)
                
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        C-17 Globemaster IIIA U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III heavy-lift transport aircraft flies over Travis Air Force Base, Calif., Mar. 27, 2017.  This aircraft was developed for the USAF in the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas. The C-17 carries forward the name of two previous piston-engined military cargo aircraft, the Douglas C-74 Globemaster and the Douglas C-124 Globemaster II. The C-17 commonly performs strategic airlift missions, transporting troops and cargo throughout the world; additional roles include tactical airlift, medical evacuation and airdrop duties.(U.S. Air Force photo/ Heide Couch)
                
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 C-17 Globemaster III**Mission**
The C-17 Globemaster III is the most flexible cargo aircraft to enter the airlift force. The C-17 is capable of rapid strategic delivery of troops and all types of cargo to main operating bases or directly to forward bases in the deployment area. The aircraft can perform tactical airlift and airdrop missions and can transport litters and ambulatory patients during aeromedical evacuations. The inherent flexibility and performance of the C-17 force improve the ability of the total airlift system to fulfill the worldwide air mobility requirements of the United States.

The ultimate measure of airlift effectiveness is the ability to rapidly project and sustain an effective combat force close to a potential battle area. Threats to U.S. interests have changed in recent years, and the size and weight of U.S.-mechanized firepower and equipment have grown in response to improved capabilities of potential adversaries. This trend has significantly increased air mobility requirements, particularly in the area of large or heavy outsize cargo. As a result, newer and more flexible airlift aircraft are needed to meet potential armed contingencies, peacekeeping or humanitarian missions worldwide. The C-17 is capable of meeting today's demanding airlift missions.

**Features**
Reliability and maintainability are two outstanding benefits of the C-17 system. Current operational requirements impose demanding reliability and maintainability. These requirements include an aircraft mission completion success probability rate of 92 percent, only 20 aircraft maintenance man-hours per flying hour, and full and partial mission availability rates of 74.7 and 82.5 percent, respectively. The Boeing warranty assures these figures will be met.

The C-17 measures 174 feet long (53 meters) with a wingspan of 169 feet, 10 inches (51.75 meters). The aircraft is powered by four Pratt & Whitney F117-PW-100 turbofan engines, which are based on the commercial Pratt and Whitney PW2040 used on the Boeing 757. Each engine is rated at 40,440 pounds of thrust and includes thrust reversers that direct the flow of air upward and forward to avoid ingestion of dust and debris.Additionally, thrust reversers provide enough thrust to reverse the aircraft while taxing backwards and create in-flight drag for maximum rate descents.The design characteristics give it the capability to operate into and out of short runways and austere airfields carrying large payloads. Maximum use has been made of commercial off-the-shelf equipment, including Air Force-standardized avionics.

The aircraft is operated by a crew of three (pilot, co-pilot and loadmaster), reducing manpower requirements, risk exposure and long-term operating costs. Cargo is loaded onto the C-17 through a large aft ramp and door system that accommodates virtually all of the Army’s air-transportable equipment such as a 69-ton M1 Abrams main battle tank, armored vehicles, trucks and trailers. Additionally, the cargo floor has rollers that can be flipped from a flat floor to accommodate wheeled or tracked vehicles to rollerized conveyers to accommodate palletized cargo.The C-17 is designed to airdrop 102 paratroopers with their accompanying equipment.

Maximum payload capacity of the C-17 is 170,900 pounds (77,519 kilograms), and its maximum gross takeoff weight is 585,000 pounds (265,352 kilograms). With a payload of 164,900 pounds (74,797 kilograms) and an initial cruise altitude of 28,000 feet (8,534 meters), the C-17 has an unrefueled range of approximately 2,400 nautical miles. Its cruise speed is approximately 450 knots (.74 Mach).

The design of the aircraft (high-lift wing, slats, and externally blown flaps) allows it to operate through small, austere airfields. The C-17 can take off and land on runways as short as 3,500 feet (1,064 meters) and only 90 feet wide (27.4 meters). Even on such narrow runways, the C-17 can turn around using a three-point star turn and its backing capability.C-17 Globemaster IIIC-17 Globemaster III taxis to the ramp at Balad Air Base.  The aircraft can perform tactical air lift and air drop missions and can also transport litters and ambulatory patients during aeromedical evacuations during Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom.
            
            
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    C-17 Globemaster IIIA C-17 Globemaster III from the 301st Airlift Squadron, 349th Air Mobility Wing, Travis Air Force Base, Calif., is refueled by a KC-10 Extender, July 20, 2017. The C-17 Globemaster III was conducting a local training mission in Northern Calif. (U.S. Air Force photo Louis Briscese)
            
            
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    C-17 Globemaster IIIAn Air Mobility Command C-17 Globemaster III deployed from Dover Air Force Base, Del., lifts off from the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing, Southwest Asia, April 2, 2013.  The C-17 Globemaster III is the newest, most flexible cargo aircraft to enter the airlift force and is capable of rapid strategic delivery of troops and all types of cargo to main operating bases or directly to forward bases in the deployment area. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Master Sgt. George Thompson)
            
            
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**Background**
The C-17 made its maiden flight on Sept. 15, 1991, and the first production model was delivered to Charleston Air Force Base, now identified as Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina, on June 14, 1993. The first squadron of C-17s, the 17th Airlift Squadron, was declared operationally ready Jan. 17, 1995. The Air Force originally programmed to buy 120 C-17s.Due to the unrivaled success of the C-17 to accomplish various mobility missions, additional aircraft were acquired, resulting in a final fleet of 223 aircraft.

The C-17 is operated by Air Mobility Command from Travis AFB, California; Dover AFB, Delaware. Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington; Joint Base Charleston, and Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, New Jersey.

Pacific Air Forces operates C-17s from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, and Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii.

The Air National Guard operates C-17s from Jackson, Mississippi, Stewart ANG Base, New York, Memphis, Tennessee, Martinsburg, West Virginia, Charlotte, North Carolina. The Air Force Reserve Command operates C-17s at March Air Reserve Base, California, and Wright Patterson AFB, Ohio.

Air Force Materiel Command has one C-17 on loan from JB Charleston, S.C., to conduct tests at Edwards AFB, California.

Air Education and Training Command performs C-17 aircrew training from Altus AFB, Oklahoma.

**General Characteristics
Primary Function:**Cargo and troop transport**Prime Contractor:** Boeing Company**Power Plant:** Four Pratt & Whitney F117-PW-100 turbofan engines**Thrust:** 40,440 pounds, each engine**Wingspan:** 169 feet 10 inches (to winglet tips) (51.75 meters)**Length:** 174 feet (53 meters)**Height:** 55 feet 1 inch (16.79 meters)**Cargo Compartment:** length, 88 feet (26.82 meters); width, 18 feet (5.48 meters); height, 12 feet 4 inches (3.76 meters)**Speed:** 450 knots at 28,000 feet (8,534 meters) (Mach .74)**Service Ceiling:** 45,000 feet at cruising speed (13,716 meters)**Range:** Global with in-flight refueling**Crew:** Three (two pilots and one loadmaster)**Aeromedical Evacuation Crew:**A basic crew of five (two flight nurses and three medical technicians) is added for aeromedical evacuation missions. Medical crew may be altered as required by the needs of patients**Maximum Takeoff Weight:** 585,000 pounds (265,352 kilograms)**Load:** 102 troops/paratroops; 36 litter and 54 ambulatory patients and attendants; 170,900 pounds (77,519 kilograms) of cargo (18 pallet positions)**Unit Cost:** $202.3 million (fiscal 1998 constant dollars)**Date Deployed:** June 1993**Inventory:** Active duty, 157; Air National Guard, 47; Air Force Reserve, 18
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