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Product Type: |
Military Transport Aircraft |
Using Service (US): |
Air Force (USAF) |
Program Status: |
No more new aircraft planned (for USAF). |
Prime Contractors: |
The Boeing
C–17 Globemaster III is a wide-body military transport aircraft in service with the U.S. Air Force and six international customers.
The C-17 is capable of airlifting outsized and oversized payloads over intercontinental ranges with
or without in-flight refueling. The C-17 is powered by four Pratt & Whitney
F117-PW-100
turbofan engines, each providing 40,440 pounds of thrust. The F117 is the military designation for the commercial PW2040 used on the Boeing 757.
The capabilities of the C-17 include rapid direct delivery of forces by airland or airdrop into difficult tactical environments.
The C–17 is capable of performing both inter-theater and intra-theater airlift missions.
The C-17 is the only aircraft capable of routine delivery of outsize cargo (tanks, helicopters, etc.) to short,
austere airfields. Carrying a payload of 164,900 pounds, the C-17 can take off from a 7,000-foot runway, fly
2,800 miles (4,500 km), and land on small austere airfields as short as 3,000 feet.
The C-17 is equipped with an externally blown flap system that allows for a steep, low-speed final approach
and low-landing speeds for short-field landings.
The aircraft is operated by a crew of three (pilot, co-pilot and loadmaster), reducing both manpower requirements and operating costs.
This cost-effective flight crew complement is made possible through the use of an advanced digital avionics system and advanced cargo systems.
In the cargo compartment, the C-17 carries the Army's wheeled vehicles in two side-by-side rows. For example, three combat-ready
Stryker
vehicles or 10 HMMWV (Humvees)
comprise one deployment load. Also, the C-17 is able to transport the M1 Abrams main battle tank.
Furthermore, the C-17 can carry up to 102 troops, 36 litter patients, or 18 standard 463-L pallets.
Cargo and vehicles are loaded onto the C-17 through a large aft door that accommodates military vehicles and palletized cargo.
The C-17 can carry virtually all of the Army's air-transportable equipment.
The C-17 made its first flight in September 1991 and the first production model was delivered to Charleston Air Force Base in South Carolina
in June 1993. The first squadron of C-17s, the 17th Airlift Squadron, was declared operationally ready in January 1995.
The C-17 has been involved in numerous conflicts, including Operation Joint Endeavor to support peacekeeping in Bosnia,
Operation Allied Force in Kosovo, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan.
The Air Force originally planned to buy only 120 C-17s, however, this number has almost doubled.
In July 2010, Defense Department officials told lawmakers that the U.S. military has enough C-17s in its fleet
to provide airlift capability for years to come. In total, 223 aircraft have been purchased +1 aircraft in FY 2012
(operational loss replacement of one aircraft).
USAF C-17s are based at 12 bases. These are Charleston Air Force Base (AFB), SC; Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA;
the Air National Guard Base at Jackson, MS; McGuire AFB, NJ;
March Air Reserve Base, CA; Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, HI;
Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, AK; Altus AFB, OK; Dover AFB, DL; Travis AFB, CA;
Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio; and Stewart Air National Guard Base, NY.
As of June 2012, the total U.S. Air Force C-17 inventory is 216 aircraft (218 as of Feb. 2013) with a designated service life of 30 years.
The average service life remaining is currently 21.6 years. There are also 28 (32 as of Feb. 2013) C-17s in service with six international customers
(United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Hungary).
On top of that, ine June 2011, India agreed to acquire 10 C-17s to be delivered in 2013 and 2014.
The non-U.S. C-17 fleet includes eight Aircraft stationed at RAF Brize Norton (United Kingdom),
five aircraft at RAAF Base Amberley (Australia), four aircraft at RCAF Trenton (Canada),
three aircraft at Papa Air Base (Hungary), two aircraft at Al Udeid Air Base (Qatar),
and six aircraft at Al Dhafra Air Base (United Arab Emirates).
None.
In 2012, the unit cost of a C-17 is $225 million. The airframe costs $178.56 million, the four F117-PW-100 engines cost $39 million ($9.75 million each), and the avionics costs $7.44 million.
The C-17 provides outsize intra-theater airland/airdrop capability not available in the current airlift force. The aircraft provides rapid strategic delivery of troops and all types of cargo to main operating bases or directly to forward bases in the deployment area.
FY 12 purchases one C-17 for the operational loss replacement of one aircraft. FY 2012 also funds modifications to existing C-17 aircraft and continued development and testing of C-17 aircraft performance improvements/mandates and aeromedical evacuation equipment in support of Overseas Contingency Operations. Supports transition to sustainment in preparation for shutdown activities for production of new aircraft. The DoD has determined that the C-17 aircraft already purchased are sufficient to satisfy the military's airlift requirement. Major C-17 modifications in FY 2012 include Pylon Stub FFLZ, Block 13-17 Retrofit, ER/OBIGGS II, OBIGGS II, and LAIRCM.
Continues modifications to existing C-17 aircraft and continued development and testing. Major C-17 modifications in FY 2013 include Pylon Stub FFLZ, Block 13-17 Retrofit, ER/OBIGGS II, and OBIGGS II. For more information, click to see the Complete FY 2013 C-17 Aircraft Modifications Budget.
Sources: U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), The Boeing Company,
Last Update: February 21, 2013.
By Joakim Kasper Oestergaard /// (jkasper@bga-aeroweb.com)
Boeing's C-17 Site: Boeing C-17 Globemaster III
YouTube: The C-17 Globemaster III | YouTube Videos
Fact Sheet: C-17 Globemaster III | Fact Sheet
C-17 U.S. Defense Budget Charts: |
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Primary Function: Cargo and troop transport |
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