Overview
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.
Capabilities and Functionality
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.
Flight and Avionics
- A small flight crew, comprised of two cockpit members and one loadmaster, supported by advanced cargo systems and an advanced digital avionics system, operates the C-17.
- The C-17's four engines -- Pratt & Whitney PW2040 series turbofans (U.S. Air Force designation F117-PW-100) -- produce 40,440 lb. each of thrust and are equipped with directed-flow thrust reversers capable of deployment in flight.
- An externally blown flap system allows a steep, low-speed final approach with low-landing speeds for routine short-field landings.
The C-17s have set 33 world aviation records -- more than any other airlifter in history. It accomplished the longest paratrooper airdrop mission in history and received numerous awards, including the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, which was presented to The Boeing Company by President Bill Clinton.
For more information, read the C-17 Globemaster III (PDF) overview.
If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader for reading PDF files, it is available for free from Adobe.