Boeing C-17

Boeing C-17 Globemaster III
A C-17A "Globemaster III" of the Air Mobility Command
Type:	Strategic and tactical transporter
Design country:	United States
Manufacturer:	McDonnell Douglas (until 1997) Boeing (since 1997)
First flight:	September 15, 1991
Commissioning:	July 14, 1993
Production time:	1991 to 2015
Number of pieces:	279

The Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a multifunctional four-engine military transport aircraft made in the USA for troops or large loads. It was developed and produced by McDonnell Douglas and then by Boeing , which McDonnell Douglas took over in 1997. The C-17 has been in service with the United States Air Force (USAF), the first operator, since 1993 and is now in service with nine air forces worldwide. After the Douglas C-74 and the Douglas C-124, the C-17 is the third type known as Globemaster in the USAF. Production stopped in 2015.

development

In the late 1970s, the US military leadership recognized an increased need for flexible transport aircraft to complement the older Lockheed C-141 Starlifter and the large Lockheed C-5 Galaxy . It should be possible to transport any equipment from the home base directly to the combat zone. Requirements included intercontinental range (including in-flight refueling ), short takeoffs and landings ( STOL ) on makeshift airfields, and dropping cargo and parachute troops in flight. In addition, the aircraft for the CX tender should be highly reliable and easy to maintain.

Play media file

Boeing C-17 Globemaster III

USAF C-17

In August 1981, McDonnell Douglas received the order to build the new model, called the C-17 . The group was able to use its own study for an advanced McDonnell Douglas YC-15 transport aircraft from the 1970s. Due to internal and technical problems, it took ten years until the first flight . In December 1985, the US Air Force ordered three prototypes, only one of which was intended for flight testing. It was completed in late 1990 and finally took off on its maiden flight on September 15, 1991. In mid-1993, it was put into service with the 17th Air Mobility Command (AMC) Transport Squadron of the USAF at Charleston Air Force Base.

Initially, the C-17 had to struggle with enormous cost, time and performance problems. As early as 1985, the number of 350 machines ordered was reduced to 210 due to the foreseeable cost increases. In 1990 there was a further reduction in the number of aircraft to 120. Originally $ 41.7 billion was earmarked for the procurement of 210 units, but the first 120 aircraft already cost $ 43 billion. Due to problems with weight, resistance and the engines, the originally contractually agreed range and payload could not be achieved. It was only in January 1995 that the machine was reported to be ready for use. In the meantime, the US Air Force even threatened to stop procurement after the 40th series machine.

McDonnell Douglas planned to launch the C-17 in a modified form as the civilian transport aircraft MD-17. In 1997, however, McDonnell Douglas was taken over by competitor Boeing , who abandoned these plans, but took over and continued production of the C-17 as a military transporter. With price reductions, Boeing obtained an order for a further 60 machines in August 2002, which was followed by more in the following years, so that the US Air Force declared in July 2010 that its requirements were covered with the 223 machines it had previously delivered. The last C-17 destined for the USAF was delivered on September 12, 2013.

construction

Carriage of paratroopers on the main deck of a C-17

The C-17 is - like its little and big sister - a shoulder - wing wing wing with four jet engines , negative V-position of the wings and a T-shaped tailplane. It has almost the same length and wingspan as the C-141, but with a larger fuselage diameter and a higher take-off weight. It can also transport large and heavy equipment such as tanks , which was previously reserved for the C-5 Galaxy. The cargo space is accessible via a tailgate with a ramp and is 26 m long, 5.5 m wide and 4 m high. The maximum payload is 77.5 t compared to 42.5 t for the C-141 and 131 t for the C-5 Galaxy. Alternatively, 102 paratroopers can be transported with equipment. With a load of 72 t, the Globemaster III can land on a 914 m (3000  ft ) runway. The crew is comparatively small with two pilots and a loadmaster (Galaxy: six men). The airframe is made of aluminum (69%), steel (12%), titanium (10%) and composites (9%). The tank capacity is 114,000 liters.

The thrust reverser of the C-17 has two special features: On the one hand, it can also be used in flight to enable steeper descents. On the other hand, by deflecting the thrust jet forwards and upwards, a fully loaded C-17 can cope with a 2% gradient on the ground when reversing .

production

United States Air Force C-17 over the Blue Ridge Mountains

A C-17 Globemaster III during air refueling

Since the mid-1990s, the forecast demand for the C-17 has increased again and again: the US Air Force last reported a need for 220 units in 2002, and 180 units were ordered, of which 148 units had been delivered by March 2006. The first units equipped with C-17s were stationed at Charleston AFB in South Carolina and McChord AFB in Washington state. With the 138th C-17 built, a reserve unit of this type of aircraft was received for the first time on August 9, 2005. The 452nd Air Mobility Wing of the Air Force Reserve Command at March Air Reserve Base in California is replacing their already retired Lockheed C-141 .

On September 29, 2006, the US Congress decided to procure a further ten transporters, as the C-17s were subjected to far more frequent and greater demands from combat missions than planned. Together with a previously ordered additional machine, this increases the total number for the US Air Force to 191 Globemasters.

Boeing announced in the mid-2000s that it would no longer be able to maintain the C-17 production line in Long Beach if no further orders were placed for the type. The company previously invested an estimated $ 100 million to purchase parts for an additional 22 C-17s that had not yet been ordered. With this measure, production should be maintained until 2009. Of these 22 additional units, all had found buyers by 2011 - five C-17s for the Australian Air Force (the last ordered in April 2011), four for Canada (bought in 2007), seven for the UK (four leased from 2001 and bought in 2008) , three more for the US Air Force and two originally for Sweden and later for NATO .

Boeing announced on August 18, 2006 that the suppliers would be given a "stop work" notice. This means that after completing the work on the components for the additional 18 machines that have been ordered, the suppliers will be asked not to manufacture or deliver any more parts for the ongoing C-17 production. Although this step has to be reversed in the event of further orders - with costs increasing proportionally with the elapsed time - this announcement means that with the delivery of the last C-17 ordered in mid-2009, aircraft production in Long Beach would have to be stopped. The order of 15 more machines by the US Air Force on February 6, 2009 initially secured the production line. In September 2009, ten more C-17s were added after the US Senate confirmed that the modernization of the C-5 Galaxy would be limited to the B and C variant models and that the 59 remaining A-version machines were retired Need to become.

After the order of two machines by Qatar in 2008, six machines by the United Arab Emirates in 2010 and India's interest in ten machines in 2010, the C-17 was produced until 2015 and production stopped afterwards September 2013 announced. Ten machines were still manufactured without a customer order, so-called white tails . These were eventually accepted by Qatar, Australia, the United Arab Emirates, Canada and India. On November 29, the last C-17A left the Long Beach, California facility, which had produced 279 C-17s since the late 1980s.

operator

Charleston AFB Altus AFB Travis AFB Joint Base Lewis-McChord McGuire AFB Hickam AFB

USAF C-17 locations

United States

The US armed forces ( United States Air Force and National Guard ) are by far the largest users of the C-17. Of the 223 C-17s ordered, the USAF (as of September 2013) uses 222; one was lost in a crash. 17 machines are operated in squadrons of the National Guard ( Air National Guard ), 13 are under the command of the Air Force Reserve Command. The USAF operates its Globemaster III on different bases with different focuses.

The training of the aircraft crews takes place at Altus Air Force Base (AFB) in Altus , Oklahoma at the 97th Air Mobility Wing (AMW). The 437th AMW in Charleston , South Carolina provides ongoing readiness for Special Operations Low Level ( SOLL ) operations , which include dropping teams like the Navy SEALs behind enemy lines. Another C-17 squadron belongs to the 305th Air Mobility Wing at McGuire AFB (near Trenton , New Jersey ). A squadron on the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii ensures the air transport to this state and the soldiers deployed there.

Two rather unusual areas of operation have been assigned to the 62nd Airlift Wing (AW) at McChord AFB in Tacoma , Washington . On the one hand, the C-17 of this squadron is the only C-17 unit to fly nuclear weapons and their components through the United States; on the other hand, the squadrons under the 62nd AW carry out Operation Deep Freeze , the supply of remote research stations in the Antarctic . In the summer of the southern hemisphere (between October and April), they transport scientists and research material between Christchurch in New Zealand and the airport at McMurdo Station .

Australia

Overview map with the current operator countries of the C-17. Representing the the NATO belonging machines here Hungary marked as barracks of the aircraft.

On March 3, 2006, Australia announced that it would initially purchase three new C-17s and granted an option for a fourth. They are intended to complement the smaller Lockheed C-130s used by the Australian armed forces . The first machine was handed over to Boeing on November 28, 2006; she arrived in Australia on December 4th. The fourth received the Royal Australian Air Force on January 18, 2008. For the entire C-17 program, initially four copies, the defense budget provided around two billion Australian dollars . The RAAF received a reordered fifth aircraft on September 14, 2011 and a sixth aircraft arrived in Australia on November 22, 2012. On October 3, 2014, the Australian government announced that it would buy two C-17s. After delivery of the last copy in November 2015, the total fleet is eight machines. The aircraft are operated by the 36th Squadron at RAAF Base Amberley in the state of Queensland.

One of the missions took the aircraft after the crash of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine to Eindhoven , from there to fly the bodies of the 38 Australian citizens who died in the crash back to Australia.

Canada

On February 1, 2007 Canada ordered four C-17s. The first two aircraft, designated the CC-177 Globemaster III by the Royal Canadian Air Force , were delivered in August and October 2007. The third machine was handed over to Boeing in March, the fourth and, for the time being, the last on April 3, 2008. At the end of 2014, a fifth unit was re-ordered and delivered in March 2015. The machines are operated by the 429th Squadron in CFB Trenton, Ontario.

India

In early 2010, Boeing announced that it had received an inquiry to supply ten C-17s for the Indian Air Force . In August of that year, the Indian Air Force announced that it was considering purchasing six more copies in a second step. The first ten vans are to be delivered between 2013 and 2015. On February 2, the final sales contract for ten copies was signed. The first machine destined for India made its maiden flight on January 11, 2013, and flight tests have been carried out with the machine at Edwards Air Force Base since January 22 . The first plane landed in June 2013 at Hindon Air Force Base, where the guy is flown by the 81st Squadron Skylords . These 10 machines had been delivered by the end of 2014. An increase to a total of 16 to 18 machines was considered, but could no longer be realized due to the discontinuation of production. An eleventh copy, the last available C-17A ever, was reordered in 2017 and delivered in 2019.

Qatar

The Emirate of Qatar initially ordered two machines on July 21, 2008, which were delivered on August 11, 2009 and September 10, 2009. Two re-ordered copies were delivered in 2012. Four more C-17A were ordered in 2015. They are operated by the Qatar Emiri Air Force in Doha .

Kuwait

On September 24, 2010, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) stated that the Emirate of Kuwait would first like to order a copy for its air forces , which was delivered in February 2014. A second was added a little later.

Strategic Airlift Capability

NATO operates three of these machines through the NATO Airlift Management Organization (NAMO) as part of the Strategic Airlift Capability . The aircraft were delivered in July, September and October 2009. The aircraft are stationed at the task force, the Heavy Airlift Wing (HAW), in the Hungarian Pápa ( Pápa Air Base ).

United Arab Emirates

On January 6, 2010, Boeing announced that the United Arab Emirates had ordered six copies. The first four arrived between May and September 2011; the other two were delivered in May and June 2012, respectively. In early 2015, two copies were re-ordered. The UAE are planning to equip their eight machines with a laser-based defense system (LAIRCM, large aircraft infrared countermeasures ) against missile threats.

United Kingdom

The British Royal Air Force was the first export customer and in 2001 leased four aircraft from Boeing, which they acquired after the lease expired in 2008. The RAF later ordered four more C-17s, which were delivered in February and June 2008, at the end of 2011 and in May 2012. The C-17 Globemasters are operated by the 99th Squadron at RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.

Technical specifications

Cockpit of a Boeing C-17A Globemaster III

Folding seats in the hold of the C-17

C-17 unloading relief supplies after Hurricane Katrina

A C-17 lands with the GOES-O satellite in the Kennedy Space Center . The negative V-position of the wings is easy to see.

A C-17 from the 446th Airlift Wing lands at Fort Bragg, North Carolina during a training exercise

Parameter	Data
length	53.04 m
span	50.29 m
Wing area	353.0 m²
Wing extension	7.16
Wing loading	minimum (empty weight): 346 kg / m² maximum (maximum takeoff weight): 745 kg / m²
height	16.79 m
Cargo space (L × W × H)	26.82 m × 5.49 m × 3.76 m (highest point 4.1 m)
Empty weight	122,016 kg
Maximum takeoff weight	263,083 kg
Maximum payload	77,519 kg
Maximum fuel capacity	134,556 l
Marching speed	818 km / h (at an altitude of 10,975 m) 650 km / h (at sea level)
Service ceiling	13,716 m
Range	approx. 5,100 km (with 49,895 kg payload) 4,450 km (with maximum payload)
Transfer range	11,575 km global with air refueling
drive	Four Pratt & Whitney F117-PW-100 - turbofan engines , each with 185.55 kN thrust
Thrust-to-weight ratio	maximum (empty weight): 0.62 minimum (maximum takeoff weight): 0.29
cockpit	Two head-up displays , fly-by-wire system
crew	Commander, copilot, loadmaster

Aviation exhibitions

The C-17 at the ILA 2012

Shortly before the 1998 ILA , a C-17 was christened "Spirit of Berlin" by Bill Clinton on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift . It flew a few laps around the square at the fair and has been exhibited at every ILA since then.

Incidents

• On January 30, 2009, there was a crash landing at Bagram Air Base , Afghanistan because the landing gear was not extended. There were no casualties, but $ 19 million in damage.

• The first C-17 crash occurred on July 28, 2010. After taking off from their home base at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska on a preparatory flight for a day of flying, the commander of the C-17 (00-0173) performed an "aggressive" show maneuver, during which he and also pulled over the machine in a banked turn nothing against the incoming stall undertook. All four people on board were killed. The machine belonged to the 517th Airlift Squadron of the 3rd Wing .

See also

• List of military transport aircraft

Web links

Commons : Boeing C-17 Globemaster III  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

• The C-17 on the Boeing website
• Royal Australian Air Force C-17
• Royal Canadian Air Force CC-177
• Strategic Airlift Capability
• Royal Air Force C-17 of the United Kingdom

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Boeing Pieces Together the Last C-17 on the Line. In: Youtube.com. Boeing, April 24, 2015, accessed April 6, 2015 . 
2. ↑ ^{a b c} FliegerRevue September 2011, pp. 26–29, Globemaster becomes global player
3. ↑ United States General Accounting Office: Military Airlift: The C-17 Proposed Settlement and Program Update. (PDF; 2.0 MB) Retrieved January 4, 2010 . 
4. ↑ Dave Majumdar: Boeing delivers last USAF C-17. In: Flightglobal.com. September 16, 2013, accessed on October 6, 2013 (English): "Boeing delivered the last C-17 Globemaster III strategic airlifter destined for the US Air Force on September 12 at its plant in Long Beach, California." 
5. ↑ GlobalSecurity: C-17 Globemaster III. Retrieved January 4, 2010 . 
6. ↑ Boeing issues "stop work" notices on C-17 Globemaster line.
7. ^ Flightglobal - USAF signs deals for 15 more C-17s , message dated February 10, 2009
8. ^ Flightglobal - More C-17 sales possible after C-5A retirement ban lifted , message dated September 11, 2009
9. ↑ FliegerWeb - Senate dumps F136 engine out of budget , news from September 14, 2009
10. ↑ Dave Majumdar: Boeing to cease C-17 production in 2015. In: Flightglobal.com. September 19, 2013, accessed on October 6, 2013 (English): "Boeing will shutter the production line for its C-17 Globemaster III strategic airlifter in 2015, the company announced on September 18." 
11. ↑ Final C-17 departs Long Beach. In: Australian Aviation. November 30, 2015, accessed April 23, 2018 . 
12. ↑ ^{a b} Gareth Jennings: India to receive final 'white-tail' C-17. (No longer available online.) In: Janes.com. June 28, 2017, archived from the original on December 4, 2017 ; accessed on April 24, 2018 (English). 
13. ↑ The last Boeing C-17A . In: European Security & Technology 1/2016. P. 79.
14. ^ Robert F. Dorr: Strat Bird . In: Air International . tape 83 , no. 5 . Key Publishing, Stamford November 2012, p. 54-61 .
15. ↑ Rick Sanford: Boeing Delivers Fourth Royal Australian Air Force C-17. (No longer available online.) Boeing.com, January 18, 2008, archived from the original on September 15, 2011 ; Retrieved March 4, 2013 . 
16. ^ ^{A b} Andrew McLaughlin: Australia to buy up to four more C-17s. In: Flightglobal.com. October 2, 2014, accessed on October 3, 2014 (English): "In a media statement issued on October 3, defense minister David Johnston said the process to purchase two aircraft had already begun through a request for pricing and availability through the US Government's Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programs. He added that a decision on two more aircraft would be informed by the outcomes of 2015 Defense White Paper and Force Structure Review processes. " 
17. ↑ Australia receives final C-17 airlifter, Janes, November 5, 2015 ( Memento of November 6, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
18. ↑ Gov't Inks $ 3.4B Deal to Buy Boeing Jets: CTV. Retrieved February 2, 2007 . 
19. ^ First CC-177 Globemaster III Receives Patriotic and Enthusiastic Welcome. ( Memento dated November 25, 2007) Department of National Defense.
20. ↑ Second CC-177 Globemaster III arrives at 8 Wing Trenton. ( Memento of the original from August 16, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Canadian Forces, October 19, 2007. 
21. ^ Canada takes delivery of final CC-177 ( Memento July 10, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Canadian Air Force News, April 3, 2008.
22. ↑ Boeing to Build 10 C-17 Airlifters for Indian Air Force. Retrieved June 19, 2011 . 
23. ^ India Orders Ten C-17As, May Add More . In: Air Forces Monthly . Key Publishing, Stamford August 2011, p. 41 (English).
24. ↑ Indian C-17A Contract . In: Air Forces Monthly . Key Publishing, Stamford March 2012, p. 28 (English).
25. ↑ Craig Hoyle: India's first C-17 enters flight testing. In: Flightglobal. January 23, 2013, accessed on January 23, 2013 (English): "Carrying the Indian air force registration CB-8001, the airlifter left the manufacturer's Long Beach final assembly site on January 22. It had made its flight debut on January 11, Boeing says. " 
26. ↑ Firdaus Hashim: Sixth Indian C-17 arrives in Delhi with special cargo ( Memento of July 29, 2014 in the Internet Archive ). In: Flightglobal.com, July 27, 2014, accessed July 28, 2014.
27. ↑ Indian Air Force receives 11th C-17 transport aircraft. Janes, August 27, 2019
28. ↑ PARIS: Boeing announces repeat C-17 order for Qatar, Flightglobal, June 15, 2015
29. ↑ Kuwait receives uniquely-liveried C-17. In: flightglobal.com. International , February 14, 2014, accessed February 19, 2014 . 
30. ↑ Boeing Delivers UAE Air Force and Air Defense's 6th C-17. boeing.mediaroom.com, June 20, 2012, accessed February 24, 2013 . 
31. ↑ Two more C-17s for UAE, last aircraft in production, Airheadsfly, February 26, 2015 ( Memento of December 20, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
32. ↑ James Drew: UAE seeks Northrop LAIRCM upgrade for C-17As. In: Flightglobal.com. March 7, 2016, accessed March 8, 2016 (English): “The United Arab Emirates Air Force could protect its eight Boeing C-17A strategic transports with Northrop Grumman's missile-dazzling large aircraft infrared countermeasures (LAIRCM) system under a $ 225 million deal recently approved by the US government. " 
33. ↑ Boeing Sixth C-17 swoops into Britain Ministry of Defense , July 3, 2008.
34. ^ Defense News - Another C-17 To Join Royal Air Force Fleet , message dated Feb. 8, 2011
35. ^ Claudio Müller: Airplanes of the World 2008 . Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2008, ISBN 978-3-613-02847-0 .
36. ↑ accident report C-17 00-0173 , Aviation Safety Network (English), accessed on 9 March of 2019.
37. ↑ Air Force officials release findings on Alaska C-17 fatal mishap. United States Air Force , December 11, 2010, accessed May 9, 2015 .