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Overview
Latest developments
November 24 -- Boeing announced that the NATO Airlift Management Agency general manager, on behalf of the Strategic Airlift Capability (SAC) nations, has signed a Letter of Offer and Acceptance with the U.S. government for the acquisition of two Boeing C-17 Globemaster III long-range cargo jets. The agreement follows NATO's Oct. 1 announcement that the 12 SAC nations had formally agreed to move forward with the acquisition of C-17s.
November 18 -- Boeing delivered the U.S. Air Force's 180th C-17 Globemaster III, the 51st for Charleston AFB. Brigadier General Bradley R. Pray, Deputy Director of Air, Space and Information Operations at Headquarters Air Mobility Command, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois, flew the plane to its new home in South Carolina.
November 5 -- Boeing delivers the thirteenth C-17 Globemaster III to Travis AFB, completing the squadron there. Gen. Arthur J. Lichte, commander, U.S. Air Force Air Mobility Command, accepted delivery of the Air Force's 179th C-17 and piloted the 'Spirit of Travis' to Travis.
October 8 -- Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, received its 13th C-17 Globemaster III airlifter during a ceremony at Boeing's Long Beach production facility. Named "The Spirit of Delaware," the advanced airlifter was piloted to Dover AFB by Gen. Arthur Lichte, commander, U.S. Air Force Air Mobility Command, Scott AFB.
October 1 - Boeing announced that an international consortium of 10 NATO members, joined by Partnership for Peace nations Sweden and Finland, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Sept. 24 to acquire three Boeing C-17 Globemaster III long-range cargo jets. The agreement sets the stage for NATO's first major defense purchase in 30 years.
September 24 - A House-Senate conference committee passed a $487.7 billion defense appropriations bill for fiscal year 2009. The bill authorizes the U.S. Air Force to spend $2.1 billion for six C-17s, but did not include funding.
September 11 -- Brigadier General Barbara J. Faulkenberry, deputy director, Strategic Plans, Requirements & Programs, Air Mobility Command, accepted delivery of the U.S. Air Force's 177th C-17 Globemaster III during a ceremony at Boeing's Long Beach production facility. The advanced airlifter is now assigned to Dover Air Force Base, Delaware.
August 19 -- Four-star General Victor E. Renuart, Jr., commander of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command, accepted delivery of the U.S. Air Force's 176th C-17 Globemaster III during a ceremony at Boeing's Long Beach production facility. The advanced airlifter has been assigned to Dover Air Force Base, Delaware.
August 13-14 -- Two U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemasters departed Ramstein Air Base, Germany, and landed at Tbilisi International Airport , delivering $1 million in humanitarian aid to the people of the Republic of Georgia. The airlifters carried medicine, clothing, sleeping bags, cots and other essential items.
July 25 -- Boeing delivered to the U.S. Air Force its 175th C-17 Globemaster at the company's Long Beach, Calif. assembly facility. Lt. General Ron F. Sams, the Inspector General of the U.S. Air Force, piloted the C-17 to Dover AFB, where it will join a fleet of nine other C-17s.
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The C-17 Globemaster III
A high-wing, 4-engine, T-tailed military-transport aircraft, the multi-service C-17 can carry large equipment, supplies and troops directly to small airfields in harsh terrain anywhere in the world day or night. The massive, sturdy, long-haul aircraft tackles distance, destination and heavy, oversized payloads in unpredictable conditions. It has delivered cargo in every worldwide operation since the 1990s.
Capabilities and Functionality
The C-17's ability to fly long distances and land in remote airfields in rough, land-locked regions make it a premier transporter for military, humanitarian and peacekeeping missions. It can:
- Take off from a 7,600-ft. airfield, carry a payload of 160,000 pounds, fly 2,400 nautical miles, refuel while in flight and land in 3,000 ft. or less on a small unpaved or paved airfield in day or night.
- Carry a cargo of wheeled U.S. Army vehicles in two side-by-side rows, including the U.S. Army's main battle tank, the M-1. Three Bradley infantry-fighting vehicles comprise one load.
- Drop a single 60,000-lb. payload, with sequential load drops of 110,000 lb.
- Back up a two-percent slope.
- Seat 54 on the sidewall and 48 in the centerline.
Additional Information
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