Boeing C - 17 Globemaster III in Australian service The Royal Australian Air Force ( RAAF ) operates six Boeing C - 17 Globemaster III large transport aircraft . Four C - 17s were ordered in mid - 2006 to improve the Australian Defence Force ' s ( ADF ' s ) ability to operate outside Australia and its region . The aircraft entered service between November 2006 and January 2008 , the second pair being delivered ahead of schedule . Two further Globemasters were ordered in 2011 , and the final aircraft was delivered to the RAAF in November 2012 . The C - 17s were built to the same specifications as those operated by the United States Air Force ( USAF ) , and the Australian aircraft are maintained through an international contract with Boeing . All of the RAAF ' s Globemasters are assigned to No . 36 Squadron and are based at RAAF Base Amberley in Queensland . The aircraft have supported ADF operations in Afghanistan and other locations in the Middle East , as well as training exercises in Australia and the United States . They have also transported supplies and personnel as part of relief efforts following natural disasters in Australia , Japan , New Zealand and several other countries . The C - 17s are highly regarded throughout the Australian military for their ability to carry large amounts of cargo across long distances , and the process through which they were acquired has been identified as an example of good practice in defence procurement . Acquisition . Selection . The RAAF began considering options for heavy transport aircraft to provide a strategic airlift capability during the early 2000s . This investigation was initiated after the ADF deployment to East Timor in 1999 and operations in the Middle East from 2001 revealed shortcomings in the RAAF ' s ability to transport the increasingly large and heavy vehicles and other items of equipment used by the Australian Army . To support these operations , the ADF found that it needed long - ranged aircraft capable of carrying larger loads than could be accommodated in the RAAF ' s force of Lockheed C - 130 Hercules transports . As a result of this capability gap , the ADF needed to use USAF transports and chartered Russian - built commercial heavy lift aircraft to move supplies and equipment from Australia to its forces in Afghanistan and the Middle East . This experience proved frustrating , as both categories of aircraft were often not available and the commercial transports were expensive to lease . In addition , the crash of a civil - chartered Ilyushin Il - 76 in East Timor in 2003 raised concerns within the ADF about the safety of the Russian transport aircraft . Following advocacy from the military , the Australian Government announced as part of an update to its national security strategy in December 2005 that it would consider acquiring heavy lift aircraft to supplement the RAAF ' s Lockheed Martin C - 130J Super Hercules transports . This initiative was one of several measures announced in the government ' s " Defence Update 2005 " paper , which sought to better prepare the ADF to operate in locations distant from Australia . In early 2006 a project office was established within the Defence Materiel Organisation ( DMO ) to evaluate the options for acquiring heavy lift aircraft . The office considered the Boeing C - 17 Globemaster III , which was in service with the USAF at the time , as well as the Airbus A400M Atlas , which was yet to make its first flight . Boeing aggressively marketed the C - 17 to the Australian Government during this period . In March 2006 , Minister for Defence Brendan Nelson announced that the government had decided to purchase three C - 17s and take out an option for a fourth . Nelson also announced that the C - 17s would be operated by No . 36 Squadron RAAF , which was to transfer its C - 130H Hercules to No . 37 Squadron and relocate from RAAF Base Richmond in New South Wales to RAAF Base Amberley in Queensland . Amberley was selected over Richmond as the base for the Globemasters as its runways and engineering facilities were better able to support large aircraft . The government exercised the option to purchase a fourth C - 17 between the time this announcement was made and the signing of the final contract on 31 July 2006 . The total cost of the four aircraft was $ A821 million , and Boeing also received an A $ 85 million contract to allow Australia to join the " virtual fleet " global C - 17 sustainment program . Additional funding was allocated to build headquarters and maintenance facilities at Amberley as well as to upgrade the air movements facilities at RAAF Bases Darwin , Edinburgh , Townsville , and Pearce . The package of funding needed to purchase and introduce the Globemasters into service was provided as a supplement to the government ' s long - term defence funding program , so the ADF did not have to forego any other planned capabilities . The C - 17s were acquired through the United States Government ' s Foreign Military Sales program , meaning that they were first delivered to the USAF and then transferred to the RAAF . The USAF provided some of the C - 17 delivery " slots " it had purchased to the RAAF to enable the type to rapidly enter Australian service , and there were no differences in the design of the Australian and American Globemasters . Delivery and sustainment . The RAAF received its first four C - 17s between late 2006 and early 2008 . The initial aircraft , which was allocated the serial number A41 - 206 , was completed in October 2006 and arrived in Australia on 4 December that year . A welcome ceremony attended by Prime Minister John Howard , Nelson and other dignitaries was held at Defence Establishment Fairbairn in Canberra . The second aircraft , A41 - 207 , was delivered on 11 May 2007 . A41 - 208 was handed over to the RAAF on 18 December 2007 , and A41 - 209 was accepted on 18 January 2008 . The first two aircraft were delivered in accordance with the expected schedule , and the third and fourth were each delivered two months early . The RAAF also acquired a C - 17 flight simulator , which entered service in January 2010 . In the 2012 – 13 edition of its annual " Major Projects Report " , the Australian National Audit Office judged that a lesson for the Australian Government from the successful procurement of the first four Globemasters was that purchasing major equipment on an " off - the - shelf " basis allows " considerable acceleration of the standard acquisition cycle " . Similarly , Australian Strategic Policy Institute analyst Mark Thomson wrote in 2008 that " the breakneck speed with which the C - 17 acquisition was executed ( and the good outcomes of the acquisition ) provides an example of what can be achieved " through off - the - shelf purchasing , and that such projects generally deliver better outcomes for the ADF than attempts to develop equipment tailored to Australia ' s needs . The Australian Government ordered a further two C - 17s during 2011 and 2012 . In February 2011 Minister for Defence Stephen Smith announced that an additional C - 17 would be purchased for a cost of $ A130 million . This aircraft was ordered to prevent a shortfall of airlift capacity while the original four C - 17s underwent scheduled heavy maintenance . The decision to purchase this aircraft also supplanted an earlier plan to acquire an additional two C - 130Js . As the deadline for A41 - 206 to be temporarily taken out of service for maintenance was rapidly approaching , the USAF agreed to transfer a C - 17 airframe that was nearing completion to the RAAF . This aircraft was delivered on 14 September 2011 , and arrived in Australia nine days later . At the ceremony held to welcome A41 - 210 , Smith announced that the government intended to order another C - 17 . The $ A160 million contract for this aircraft was signed in March 2012 , and it was delivered to the RAAF on 1 November that year . Funding for these two aircraft was obtained through a combination of supplements to the Defence budget and reallocating unspent funds from ADF projects running behind schedule . Owing to budget constraints and the scheduled closure of Boeing ' s Globemaster production line in 2015 , it is unlikely that the RAAF will acquire additional Globemasters . Maintenance of the Australian Globemasters is undertaken by both the RAAF and Boeing . As part of Australia ' s membership of the Globemaster III Sustainment Partnership , Air Force technicians are responsible for routine servicing and Boeing handles major maintenance tasks . Boeing also provides technical support for RAAF Globemasters during deployments outside of Australia , and the company is paid in return for achieving contractually mandated aircraft availability targets . Due to the economies of scale arising from a large international maintenance program , the contract with Boeing is considered to be cheaper than attempting to support the aircraft through unique Australian contracts . It is expected that the RAAF ' s Globemasters will remain in service for 30 years . The ADF and defence commentators have judged that the Globemaster acquisition has significantly increased the RAAF ' s airlift capabilities . The aircraft have a maximum range of and are capable of operating from short and unsealed airstrips . Each Globemaster can carry up to of cargo , and the large size of the aircraft means that it can accommodate outsize items . Maximum loads include 102 passengers , 36 personnel on stretchers , an M1 Abrams tank , three Eurocopter Tiger helicopters or five Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicle s . These are much larger loads than can be transported by the Air Force ' s C - 130 Hercules transports , and the RAAF website states that each C - 17 can carry three times as much cargo as a C - 130 . Flown with a joystick and fly - by - wire controls , the C - 17 is also highly manoeuvrable and responsive considering its size . Ian McPhedran , the defence correspondent for News Corp Australia , has judged that the C - 17s have " changed the game " for the RAAF by allowing the force to rapidly transport large amounts of cargo into combat zones . According to aviation journalist Nigel Pittaway , the Globemaster ' s capabilities have made it a highly regarded asset throughout the Australian Defence Organisation . Operational service . Training and combat operations . Ahead of the delivery of Australia ' s first C - 17s , RAAF personnel received training on the aircraft in the United States . From May 2006 a group of pilots and loadmaster s led by Wing Commander Linda Corbould , the commanding officer designate of No . 36 Squadron , undertook conversion training with the USAF ' s C - 17 units at Altus Air Force Base and Charleston Air Force Base . A group of 48 technical personnel also received training at Charleston and McChord Air Force Base from September that year . No . 36 Squadron began a period of intensive training once Corbould delivered A41 - 206 to Amberley on 7 December 2006 , and the unit achieved initial operating capability status in September 2007 . Also in 2007 , the RAAF ' s No . 1 Air Operations Support Squadron was expanded by 80 personnel to provide air load teams to support the Globemasters . A project to acquire the equipment needed to allow the RAAF ' s C - 17s to be used in the aeromedical evacuation role and develop associated crew procedures began in late 2007 . The first Globemaster aeromedical evacuation sortie was flown on 5 September 2008 , the day after the type was certified to operate in this role . On 8 December 2008 , Corbould led the RAAF ' s first all - female aircrew during a training flight over South East Queensland to mark the second anniversary of the entry of the Globemaster into service . A team of USAF trainers was posted to Amberley until the RAAF had sufficient C - 17 pilots who were qualified to instruct others . The RAAF began training new C - 17 pilots in early 2010 after the flight simulator was delivered , and the first Australian - trained pilots graduated in early May that year . No . 36 Squadron achieved final operating capability status in December 2011 . The components for a simulated C - 17 cargo compartment were delivered to Amberley in early 2013 , and this facility is expected to be completed and ready to train air movements and medical staff by early 2014 . The RAAF ' s Globemasters have supported Australian military deployments worldwide . The Air Mobility Control Centre manages the tasking of the Globemasters , and tries to allocate them to missions for which they are the most cost - effective option . As of September 2008 , No . 36 Squadron was conducting fortnightly flights to transport supplies from Australia to bases in the Middle East ; at this time the supplies were moved into the combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan using C - 130 transports . Direct C - 17 flights into the major Australian base at Tarin Kot in Afghanistan began in July 2009 . As No . 36 Squadron ' s structure does not enable it to permanently station Globemasters in the Middle East , the usual practice is for one of the type to carry a load of cargo from Australia and then conduct missions in the region for several days before returning to Amberley . In a speech delivered in early 2013 , Smith stated that during the previous year the Globemasters had supported operations in the Middle East by flying " 60 missions , about 330 hours of flight time , during which the C - 17As moved 190 vehicles , 1 , 800 passengers and over 3 , 600 tonnes of cargo and conducted 20 aeromedical evacuations " . All Australian C - 17s that fly into Afghanistan are fitted with a Large Aircraft Infrared Countermeasures system for protection against missiles . C - 17s have also supported ADF training . In this role they have moved helicopters and other equipment between Australian bases , and supported training deployments to the United States . In April 2010 , members of the Australian Army ' s No . 176 ( Air Dispatch ) Squadron became the first paratroopers to jump from a non - American Globemaster ; the type was first used to support training by the Army ' s Parachute Training School in June that year . A C - 17 transported an Army M1 Abrams tank for the first time during a training exercise conducted on 11 May 2012 . To mark the arrival of the RAAF ' s final Globemaster , four of the aircraft flew over Brisbane together on 22 November 2012 . Each of the C - 17s involved in the flight carried a different type of cargo to showcase the type ' s capabilities ; A41 - 211 was configured for aeromedical evacuation tasks , another C - 17 embarked an Abrams tank , one carried two Tiger helicopters and the fourth was loaded with several Bushmasters . Despite the wide range of tasks which have been assigned to the aircraft , the RAAF is currently not operating its Globemasters in all the roles the type is capable of . In February 2013 the Air Force was reported to be investigating using C - 17s to drop special forces boats as well as supplies to warships . The Australian C - 17s have also not yet been refuelled while in flight , though it is planned to develop this capability once the flying boom refuelling systems fitted to the RAAF ' s new KC - 30A tanker aircraft become operational . Humanitarian tasks . In addition to their military tasks , the C - 17s have formed part of the Australian Government ' s response to natural disasters . In November 2007 a C - 17 delivered 27 tonnes of supplies to Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea following heavy flooding caused by Cyclone Guba . At the conclusion of the ADF response to this disaster , another C - 17 mission was conducted to return Army Sikorsky S - 70A - 9 Black Hawks to their base at Townsville . During May 2008 a C - 17 flew 31 tonnes of emergency equipment from Australia to Yangon in Burma following Cyclone Nargis . Later in the month a RAAF Globemaster transported two Aérospatiale SA 330 Puma helicopters from South Africa to Thailand , from where the helicopters flew into Burma . On 1 October 2009 , C - 17s transported supplies and ADF evacuation teams from RAAF Base Richmond to Samoa following the earthquake there . Two days later another C - 17 sortie delivered medical personnel and other specialists to Padang in Indonesia after the Sumatra earthquakes . In August 2010 , two C - 17s were dispatched to deliver emergency supplies to Pakistan following widespread flooding there . No . 36 Squadron was particularly active during 2011 . In January that year the squadron had to evacuate two C - 17s from Amberley to Richmond when the base was threatened by rising floodwaters during the Queensland floods ; of the other two Globemasters , one was in the Middle East and the other was undergoing maintenance and could not be flown . The aircraft stranded at Amberley was moved onto high ground during the crisis at the base and escaped without damage . The two Richmond - based C - 17s subsequently flew over 227 tones of supplies to flood - affected regions of Queensland . When flooding also took place in Victoria during January , No . 36 Squadron transported 100 , 000 sandbags to Melbourne and flew Royal Australian Navy personnel and vehicles into the state from HMAS " Albatross " in New South Wales . No . 36 Squadron returned to Amberley after the flood waters dropped in mid - February . In early February the north Queensland city of Cairns was threatened by Cyclone Yasi , and the RAAF conducted two C - 17 sortie s and two C - 130 sorties to evacuate patients from Cairns Base Hospital on the night of 1 / 2 February . After the cyclone passed over the Queensland coast , C - 17s flew 200 tonnes of groceries into Cairns over a two - day period as part of Operation Yasi Assist . No . 36 Squadron also contributed aircraft to the Australian response to the 2011 Christchurch earthquake in late February , the C - 17s flying urban search and rescue teams into the city from the 23rd of the month and evacuating Australian citizens on their return flights . Three of the Australian C - 17s were deployed to Japan following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami on 11 March . The first aircraft departed Australia two days after the disaster carrying 75 emergency response personnel , most of whom were members of Fire and Rescue NSW . After delivering these personnel to Yokota Air Base , the C - 17 remained in Japan to provide additional airlift to the Japan Self - Defense Forces ( JSDF ) . In this role , the C - 17 moved elements of the Japanese 15th Brigade from Okinawa to Honshu , and also transported supplies from a JSDF base in Hokkaido . On 21 / 22 March , two other C - 17s ( including one temporarily brought back from the Middle East ) flew a large water cannon system from RAAF Base Pearce in Western Australia to Yokota ; owned by the Bechtel corporation , the water cannon formed part of the efforts to bring the badly damaged Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant under control . With the arrival of these aircraft , all three of the available Australian C - 17s were in Japan ( the fourth was still undergoing maintenance at Amberley ) . The RAAF maintained a C - 17 , two flight crews and support personnel in Japan until 25 March . By the end of this deployment the Australian aircraft had conduced 31 sorties and delivered 450 tonnes of cargo . No . 36 Squadron maintained a C - 17 in the Middle East over most of this period . Also in March 2011 , Smith stated that the Australian Government would probably provide C - 17s to transport humanitarian supplies to Libya if the United Nations requested assistance . The RAAF ' s C - 17s responded to several other natural disasters between late 2011 and 2013 . In October 2011 a Globemaster flew a water purification plant to Samoa , from where it was transported by Royal New Zealand Air Force aircraft to Tuvalu . C - 17s also transported supplies to Fiji and Samoa in December 2012 following Cyclone Evan . In January 2013 two Globemasters flew power generators and transformers from Amberley to Hobart following the Tasmanian bushfires . Later that month C - 17s were used to transport aviation fuel and other supplies into the Queensland town of Bundaberg after it was affected by heavy flooding .