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Subject: Boeing C-17 Globemaster III
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boeing_C-17_Globemaster_III
The Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft. It was
developed for the United States Air Force (USAF) from 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 tactical and strategic
airlift missions, transporting troops and cargo throughout the world; additional
roles include medical evacuation and airdrop duties. It was designed to replace
the Lockheed C-141 Starlifter, and also fulfill some of the duties of the
Lockheed C-5 Galaxy, freeing the C-5 fleet for outsize cargo.
Boeing, which merged with McDonnell Douglas in the 1990s, continued to
manufacture C-17s for export customers following the end of deliveries to the
U.S. Air Force. Aside from the United States, the C-17 is in service with the
United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, NATO Heavy
Airlift Wing, India, and Kuwait. The final C-17 was completed at the Long Beach,
California plant and flown on 29 November 2015.
For cargo operations the C-17 requires a crew of three: pilot, copilot, and
loadmaster. The cargo compartment is 88 feet (27 m) long by 18 feet (5.5 m) wide
by 12 feet 4 inches (3.76 m) high. The cargo floor has rollers for palletized
cargo but it can be flipped to provide a flat floor suitable for vehicles and
other rolling stock. Cargo is loaded through a large aft ramp that accommodates
rolling stock, such as a 69-ton (63-metric ton) M1 Abrams main battle tank,
other armored vehicles, trucks, and trailers, along with palletized cargo.
Maximum payload of the C-17 is 170,900 pounds (77,500 kg), and its maximum
takeoff weight is 585,000 pounds (265,000 kg). With a payload of 160,000 pounds
(73,000 kg) and an initial cruise altitude of 28,000 ft (8,500 m), the C-17 has
an unrefueled range of about 2,400 nautical miles (4,400 kilometres) on the
first 71 aircraft, and 2,800 nautical miles (5,200 kilometres) on all subsequent
extended-range models that include a sealed center wing bay as a fuel tank.
Boeing informally calls these aircraft the C-17 ER. The C-17's cruise speed is
about 450 knots (830 km/h) (Mach 0.74). It is designed to airdrop 102
paratroopers and their equipment. The U.S. Army's canceled Ground Combat Vehicle
was to be transported by the C-17.
The C-17 is designed to operate from runways as short as 3,500 ft (1,100 m) and
as narrow as 90 ft (27 m). In addition, the C-17 can operate from unpaved,
unimproved runways (although with greater chance of damage to the aircraft). The
thrust reversers can be used to move the aircraft backwards and reverse
direction on narrow taxiways using a three- (or more) point turn. The plane is
designed for 20 man-hours of maintenance per flight hour, and a 74% mission
availability rate.
Role
Strategic and tactical airlifter
National origin
United States
Manufacturer
McDonnell Douglas / Boeing
First flight
15 September 1991
Introduction
17 January 1995
Status
In service
Primary users
United States Air Force
Indian Air Force
Royal Air Force
Royal Australian Air Force
Produced
Number built
279
Unit cost
US$218 million (flyaway cost for FY 2007)
Developed from
McDonnell Douglas YC-15
The first production C-17 was delivered to Charleston Air Force Base, South
Carolina, on 14 July 1993. The first C-17 squadron, the 17th Airlift Squadron,
became operationally ready on 17 January 1995. The C-17 has broken 22 records
for oversized payloads. The C-17 was awarded U.S. aviation's most prestigious
award, the Collier Trophy, in 1994. A Congressional report on operations in
Kosovo and Operation Allied Force noted "One of the great success stories...was
the performance of the Air Force's C-17A" The C-17 flew half of the strategic
airlift missions in the operation, the type could use small airfields, easing
operations; rapid turnaround times also led to efficient utilization.
In FY 2006, eight C-17s were delivered to March Joint Air Reserve Base,
California; controlled by the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC), assigned to the
452d Air Mobility Wing; and subsequently assigned to AMC's 436th Airlift Wing
and its AFRC "associate" unit, the 512th Airlift Wing, at Dover Air Force Base,
Delaware, supplementing the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy. In 2011, the New York Air
National Guard's 105th Airlift Wing at Stewart Air National Guard Base, New
York, transitioned from the C-5 to the C-17.
C-17s delivered military goods and humanitarian aid during Operation Enduring
Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq as well as
humanitarian missions in the immediate aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake,
the 2011 Sindh floods delivering thousands of food rations, tons of medical and
emergency supplies. On 26 March 2003, 15 USAF C-17s participated in the biggest
combat airdrop since the United States invasion of Panama in December 1989: the
night-time airdrop of 1,000 paratroopers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade
occurred over Bashur, Iraq. The airdrop of paratroopers were followed by C-17s
ferrying M1 Abrams, M2 Bradleys, M113s and artillery. USAF C-17s have also been
used to assist allies in their airlift requirements, including Canadian vehicles
to Afghanistan in 2003 and Australian forces during the Australian-led military
deployment to East Timor in 2006. In 2006, USAF C-17s flew 15 Canadian Leopard
C2 tanks from Kyrgyzstan into Kandahar in support of NATO's Afghanistan mission.
In 2013, five USAF C-17s supported French operations in Mali, operating with
other nation's C-17s (RAF, NATO and RCAF deployed a single C-17 each).
Specifications (C-17)
General characteristics
Crew: 3: 2 pilots, 1 loadmaster
Capacity:
102 paratroopers or
134 troops with palletized and sidewall seats or
54 troops with sidewall seats (allows 13 cargo pallets) only or
36 litter and 54 ambulatory patients and medical attendants or
Cargo, such as an M1 Abrams tank, three Strykers, or six M1117 Armored Security
Vehicles
Payload: 170,900 lb (77,520 kg) of cargo distributed at max over 18 463L master
pallets or a mix of palletized cargo and vehicles
Length: 174 ft (53 m)
Wingspan: 169.8 ft (51.75 m)
Height: 55.1 ft (16.8 m)
Empty weight: 282,500 lb (128,100 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 585,000 lb (265,350 kg)
Fuel capacity: 35,546 U.S. gal (134,556 L)
Performance
Cruise speed: Mach 0.74 (450 knots, 515 mph (829 km/h))
Range: 2,420 nmi (2,785 mi (4,482 km)) ; 5,610 nmi (10,390 km) with paratroopers
Service ceiling: 45,000 ft (13,716 m)
Minimum thrust/weight: 0.277
Takeoff run at MTOW: 7,600 ft (2,300 m)
Landing distance: 3,500 ft (1,100 m)
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