Boeing C-17 Globemaster III

The McDonnell Douglas/Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large <a href="/facts/Military_transport_aircraft/r3AeoD8A">military transport aircraft</a> developed for the <a href="/facts/United_States_Air_Force/7MxWBYlc">United States Air Force</a> (USAF) between the 1980s to the early 1990s by <a href="/facts/McDonnell_Douglas/cplglcRH">McDonnell Douglas</a>. The C-17 carries forward the name of two previous piston-engined military cargo aircraft, the <a href="/facts/Douglas_C-74_Globemaster/Yzwq5S8s">Douglas C-74 Globemaster</a> and the <a href="/facts/Douglas_C-124_Globemaster_II/4JpjUFoY">Douglas C-124 Globemaster II</a>.
The C-17 is based upon the <a href="/facts/McDonnell_Douglas_YC-15/LknVHcVB">YC-15</a>, a smaller prototype airlifter designed during the 1970s. It was designed to replace the <a href="/facts/Lockheed_C-141_Starlifter/xf5nKjkY">Lockheed C-141 Starlifter</a>, and also fulfill some of the duties of the <a href="/facts/Lockheed_C-5_Galaxy/aUB5LBqE">Lockheed C-5 Galaxy</a>. The redesigned airlifter differs from the YC-15 in that it is larger and has swept wings and more powerful engines. Development was protracted by a series of design issues, causing the company to incur a loss of nearly US$1.5 billion on the program's development phase. On 15 September 1991, roughly one year behind schedule, the first C-17 performed its <a href="/facts/Maiden_flight/LW569ILn">maiden flight</a>. The C-17 formally entered USAF service on 17 January 1995. McDonnell Douglas and later <a href="/facts/Boeing/tF5sMe9F">Boeing</a> after it merged with McDonnell Douglas in 1997, manufactured the C-17 for more than two decades. The final C-17 was completed at the <a href="/facts/Long_Beach%2c_California/rcmxRIXv">Long Beach, California</a>, plant and flown in November 2015.
The C-17 commonly performs tactical and <a href="/facts/Airlift/B4AxnbhF">strategic airlift</a> missions, transporting troops and <a href="/facts/Cargo/0aDk22Yl">cargo</a> throughout the world; additional roles include <a href="/facts/Medical_evacuation/6fDwDIGt">medical evacuation</a> and <a href="/facts/Airdrop/LsWJmyFg">airdrop</a> duties. The transport is in service with the USAF along with the air forces of <a href="/facts/Indian_Air_Force/XbNJ5qcp">India</a>, the <a href="/facts/Royal_Air_Force/P10CbL5H">United Kingdom</a>, <a href="/facts/Royal_Australian_Air_Force/kkCS5X4E">Australia</a>, <a href="/facts/Royal_Canadian_Air_Force/RcKdhuC3">Canada</a>, <a href="/facts/Qatar_Emiri_Air_Force/p2Ntk9CI">Qatar</a>, the <a href="/facts/United_Arab_Emirates_Air_Force/JDHPSfPG">United Arab Emirates</a>, <a href="/facts/Kuwait_Air_Force/q65t75qh">Kuwait</a>, and the Europe-based multilateral organization <a href="/facts/Heavy_Airlift_Wing/MImHD9qL">Heavy Airlift Wing</a>.
The type played a key logistical role during both <a href="/facts/Operation_Enduring_Freedom/NmHxWBTY">Operation Enduring Freedom</a> in Afghanistan and <a href="/facts/Iraq_War/dlAgf8at">Operation Iraqi Freedom</a> in Iraq, as well as in providing <a href="/facts/Humanitarian_aid/KKYF2X7X">humanitarian aid</a> in the aftermath of various natural disasters, including the <a href="/facts/2010_Haiti_earthquake/fffulr9x">2010 Haiti earthquake</a>, the <a href="/facts/2011_Sindh_floods/cCqvBfIj">2011 Sindh floods</a> and the <a href="/facts/2023_Turkey-Syria_earthquake/ypCmUXL2">2023 Turkey-Syria earthquake</a>.

Boeing C-17 Globemaster III open-in-new

Boeing C-17 Globemaster III