C-17 Globemaster III is the USAF’s primary strategic, large transport aircraft developed to replace the C-141 Starlifter. The C-17 is operated by three crewmen: a pilot, a copilot, and a loadmaster.
It is named the “Globemaster”, but within its community, it is also affectionately known as “The Moose.” This nickname comes from the sound that is heard when the air is venting during refueling on the ground – it sounds like a moose bellowing.
The C-17’s missions are strategic airlifts, transporting supplies, personnel, or weaponry over long distances. The Globemaster airdrops both paratroopers and cargo for resupply over areas that may not be easily accessible to other aircraft or behind enemy lines.
One Of the Largest Military Cargo Aircraft in the World
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The 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).
The C-17 is 174 feet long and has a wingspan of about 170 feet (52 m). The size and weight of US mechanized firepower and equipment have grown in recent decades from increased air mobility requirements, particularly for large or heavy non-palletized outsize cargo. 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. 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.
All You Need to Know about the C-17 Globemaster III
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Information about the C-17 Globemaster III
1) Four Pratt and Whitney F117-PW-100 turbofans: produce 40,440 pounds of thrust per engine and propels the C-17 to a cruising speed of 550 mph and a service ceiling of 45,000 ft.
2) Cargo Load: 102 troops/paratroops; 36 litter and 54 ambulatory patients and attendants; 170,900 pounds (77,519 kilograms) of cargo (18 pallet positions)
3)Mission: tactical airlift, airdrop missions, and medical transport of medical litter and ambulatory patients
4) Landing: can land on small runways as short as 3,500 feet and can perform a three-point turn using reverse thrusters to turn around on runways as narrow as 90 feet wide.
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5) C-17s Produced: A total of 279 have been produced since 1991. Its highest production years were 2002 to 2009 when 16 were produced each year. The final production year was 2014 with a count of seven.
6) Record Holder: The C-17 has broken 22 records for oversized payloads and has also been awarded the Collier Trophy, a highly prestigious aviation award in the United States.
7) Special Delivery: The first time the C-17 deployed paratroopers into a combat zone was in March of 2003 when 1000 U.S. soldiers of the 173rd Airborne Brigade were inserted into Northern Iraq. A C-17 travels along with the President’s plane, transporting both the President’s limousine and the security detachments when the President makes visits within the United States and at foreign locations around the globe.
8) Operators: Operated by Australia, Canada, India, NATO, Kuwait, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, and the United States
