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Boeing C-17 Globemaster III

1995 MODERN AIRCRAFT

The History of the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III

The C-17 Globemaster III is the primary long-range transport aircraft in the United States and has been adopted in small numbers by several other world aviation powers. It provides heavy-duty hauling capability and long-distance capability to bring people and machines into active operating areas when needed.

The onboard systems and overall excellent overall design enables the aircraft to operate in many different operational environments for tactical or strategic transport roles. The U.S. Air Force (USAF) initially committed to order 120 of the model, but the total was eventually increased to 223.

Other U.S. troops using the Mammoth include Air Mobility Command, Air Force Materiel Command, Air Force Reserve Command, Air National Guard, Air Force Education and Training Command, and Pacific Air Forces Command.

NOTE: The name "Globemaster" is the long-standing name for a large U.S. military transport aircraft, beginning with the Douglas C-74 Globemaster (1945). It was followed by the Douglas C-124 Globemaster II (1950).

Of course, the C-17 Globemaster III was the third in the series, although it was essentially a completely separate development.

The first flight of the C-17 prototype took place on September 15, 1991. Two years later, on June 14, 1993, the first production-grade airframe arrived at Joint Base Charleston, South Carolina. The first operational C-17 squadron became 17th Airlift Squadron on January 17, 1995.

As of January 2014, the U.S. Air Force reported 187 C-17s in active duty, 12 in the National Guard and 14 in the Air Force Reserve.

The overall configuration of the C-17 is very traditional when it comes to heavy transport. It features a sturdy tubular fuselage (flight deck forward) with a tapered tail attached to a T-tail assembly (a cross horizontal plane on a vertical tail).

The wings are mounted high to facilitate the principle of strong lift and provide the necessary clearance for ground movement during landing. Each wing receives a pair of suspended turbofan engines, with the wing swept back along its leading edge and reduced swept at the trailing edge.

The main wing assembly is mounted forward amidships.

The C-17 has now been shown to be able to take off from runways as long as 7,600 feet and land on runways as short as 3,000 feet. They have aerial refueling capabilities and can extend the operational range - a requirement for strategic and tactical transport aircraft anywhere in the world, especially when trying to mobilize a large army.

A single C-17 can carry up to 160,000 pounds of cargo (including the entire armored vehicle) over a distance of up to 2,760 miles. In fact, a single C-17 can move up to three Bradley infantry fighting vehicles in a single lift and is capable of carrying the M1 Abrams main battle tank - both vehicles representing the U.S. Army and Navy Major component of the Marine Corps. A loading ramp in the rear of the fuselage (under the tail) provides the necessary access to the cargo area.

In addition to take-off and landing capability, the C-17 is certified to drop up to 60,000 pounds of palletized cargo at a time. Cockpit equipment allows both pilots to operate their aircraft in low or no light for a very useful "all-weather" capability.

It also features two Head-Up Displays (HUD), four Multi-Function Displays (MFD) and a state-of-the-art digitally calibrated instrument panel. When configured as a personnel carrier, the C-17 can carry 102 people, making it an ideal infantry carrier, medical evacuation unit (36 units) or humanitarian "personnel carrier".

A dedicated loading supervisor serves as the rest of the standard three-person crew. The landing gear uses four three-wheeled main gear legs (held below the center mass of the aircraft) and a two-wheeled front leg. The nasal bone can be used for ground maneuvers.

The landing gear is specially designed to be low-profile to facilitate the loading and unloading of the aircraft.

Dimensionally, the C-17 has a wingspan of 170 feet, a length of 174 feet and a height of 55 feet. The controls have quadruple redundancy and mechanical protection in case of emergency. Propulsion is provided by four Pratt & Whitney F117-PW-100 turbofan engines, each delivering 40,440 pounds of thrust. Performance figures include a cruising speed of 515 mph and a service ceiling of up to 45,000 feet.

Empty weight is 282,500 pounds, and the listed maximum takeoff weight is closer to 585,000 pounds. The C-17 has a payload of 150,000 pounds and a range of up to 5,185 kilometers (2,800 nautical miles).

There is only one major (and official) C-17 variant, which is still the original "C-17A" airlift model. The C-17A "ER" is the unofficial designation used for the C-17, which gains "extended range" by implementing a center wing fuel tank. These appeared in 2001, and "winglets" on each wingtip were later added to further improve fuel efficiency.

The C-17B is an improved version of the C-17A being promoted by Boeing, which includes higher-rated engines that provide more power, dual-slotted flaps on the wings, improved landing gear, and improved takeoff and runway performance.

The C-17 was used in the military off the coast of the United States. The Royal Australian Air Force operates six C-17ERs through the 36th Squadron. The Royal Canadian Air Force manages four C-17ER airframes (such as CC-177s) through the 429th Transport Squadron. The Indian Air Force has a total of 10 C-17s, of which 5 are already in service with the 81st Squadron.

Qatar has taken delivery of four C-17As, while the United Arab Emirates operates six of these airframes. The UK has purchased eight C-17ER variants and operates them through the 99th Squadron. NATO operates three C-17s at Papa Air Base in Hungary.