September 14 - Boeing delivered the U.S. Air Force's 218th C-17 Globemaster III airlifter during a ceremony at its Long Beach, Calif. final assembly facility. The airlifter is assigned to Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.

July 31 - Boeing integrated the forward, center and aft fuselages with the wing assembly of India's first C-17 Globemaster III during a "major join" ceremony in Long Beach, Calif. Indian embassy and senior Indian Air Force representatives, along with local elected officials, drove ceremonial rivets into the aircraft as they celebrated the achievement of this milestone.

July 17 - Boeing delivered the U.S. Air Force's 217th C-17 Globemaster III airlifter during a ceremony at its Long Beach, Calif. final assembly facility. The airlifter was deployed to Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash.

June 20 - Boeing announced the delivery of the sixth C-17 to the United Arab Emirates Air Force and Air Defence. The year-old UAE airlifter fleet is providing humanitarian support and disaster relief around the world.

May 22 - Boeing announced the delivery the United Arab Emirates Air Force and Air Defence's fifth C-17 Globemaster III. One additional C-17 will be delivered to the UAE in 2012.

May 18 - Boeing delivered the United Kingdom's eighth C-17 Globemaster III to the Royal Air Force (RAF) during a ceremony at the company's final assembly facility in Long Beach. RAF Wing Cmdr. David Manning delivered the aircraft to join the 99 Squadron fleet at RAF Brize Norton.

February 24 - Boeing delivered the U.S. Air Force's 216th C-17 Globemaster III during a ceremony at its Long Beach, Calif. final assembly facility. The C-17 is assigned to Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington.

January 26 - Boeing delivered the U.S. Air Force's 215th C-17 Globemaster III, which now operates out of Joint Base Charleston, S.C.

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A high-wing, 4-engine, T-tailed military-transport aircraft, the multi-service C-17 can carry large equipment, supplies and troops directly to small airfields in harsh terrain anywhere in the world day or night. The massive, sturdy, long-haul aircraft tackles distance, destination and heavy, oversized payloads in unpredictable conditions. It has delivered cargo in every worldwide operation since the 1990s.

The C-17's ability to fly long distances and land in remote airfields in rough, land-locked regions make it a premier transporter for military, humanitarian and peacekeeping missions. It can:

• Take off from a 7,600-ft. airfield, carry a payload of 160,000 pounds, fly 2,400 nautical miles, refuel while in flight and land in 3,000 ft. or less on a small unpaved or paved airfield in day or night.
• Carry a cargo of wheeled U.S. Army vehicles in two side-by-side rows, including the U.S. Army's main battle tank, the M-1. Three Bradley infantry-fighting vehicles comprise one load.
• Drop a single 60,000-lb. payload, with sequential load drops of 110,000 lb.
• Back up a two-percent slope.
• Seat 54 on the sidewall and 48 in the centerline.

• Technical Specifications
• Current Funding Status

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Sources for more information

For more information, read the C-17 Globemaster III overview (pdf). If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader for reading PDF files, it is available for free from Adobe.

If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader for reading PDF files, it is available for free from Adobe.