Major milestones for the C-17 Globemaster III are everywhere you look—in the factory, in the nation’s capitol, in the field and in the skies.

On the ground, Boeing recently delivered the first C-17 to be based in California and flown by California citizen airmen. March Air Reserve Base in Riverside took delivery of its first C-17 on Aug. 9. Final preparations are under way at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii, to receive the first U.S. Air Force C-17 stationed outside the continental United States in January 2006, and the first of 16 C-17s destined for the Pacific Air Forces.

In the air, the advanced airlifter is closing in on a major milestone: one million flight hours. The worldwide fleet, comprising 139 U.S. Air Force and 4 U.K. Royal Air Force C-17s, is expected to reach the plateau in early 2006. The million-hour mark is occurring sooner than expected, due to the C-17’s high utilization and industry-leading reliability.

Since the Global War on Terrorism began in October 2001, C-17s have flown combat missions for more than 1,400 consecutive days. During this time, the C-17 has emerged as the only airlifter capable of both strategic and tactical missions. In Iraq, C-17s have delivered more than 70 percent of all the cargo delivered, exceeded 95 percent departure reliability, and have the highest operational readiness rate of any airlifter: 84 percent.

In an interview with Air Force Magazine, Gen. John Handy, commander of U.S. Transportation Command, raved about the performance of the C-17 in Iraq and Afghanistan, saying “It’s done everything we ever dreamed we’d do, including going up close and personal in combat.”

Boeing continues to design improvements into the C-17, making it more capable and reliable. For the 16th time, Boeing is upgrading the fleet. Block 16 aircraft will incorporate the latest in avionics technology, a next-generation weather radar system, an enhanced onboard inert gas generating system, and a new stabilizer strut system. To integrate these changes for the March C-17s, Boeing has racked up more 330 flight and ground test hours.

Following the integration of Block 16 changes, Hickam AFB will receive its squadron of Block 17 airplanes in 2006. These will be the first C-17s to have the new Formation Flying System, which enhances the C-17’s combat airdrop capabilities. The existing system allowed 15 C-17s in tight formation to drop 1,000 soldiers and their equipment into Northern Iraq, in a well-documented night-time airdrop that opened the war’s Northern campaign. Block 17’s Formation Flying System will provide the full Strategic Brigade Airdrop capability, which will enable 53 C-17s to pass over a drop zone in 30 minutes or less.

The Block 17 improvements will be the latest in the continuous evolution of the C-17, all designed to add capability with a reduced price tag, equating to greater value. Boeing is now looking at a package of improvements called the “C-17A+,” designed to support troops in the field more directly. By redesigning the flaps, beefing up the landing gear, and enhancing the engines, the C-17 could land on shorter, more austere runways (2,000 feet or less) while carrying even greater payload.

To allow development time for these upgrades, the C-17A+ would be available around 2012, beginning with the U.S. Air Force’s 223rd C-17. While Gen. Handy has acknowledged the need for at least 222 C-17s, Boeing’s current multi-year contract with the Air Force is for only 180 C-17s, the last of which is scheduled for delivery in early 2008.

“The A+ adds tremendous capability,” said Dave Bowman, vice president and C-17 program manager. “But to make these airplanes, we must keep the production line going until then.”

To keep the C-17 production line alive, Congress must fund additional C-17s by January 2006—to allow for funding of long-lead items involved in the build process of airplanes beyond the 180 now under contract.

“We’re at a very critical stage,” said Bowman. “Without additional orders in the next four months, Boeing will be faced with some really tough decisions, including slowing down production—or closing the line altogether.”

C-17: A Life-saving Airlifter

Because of its unique ability to carry enormous cargo loads and land on austere fields of 3,000 feet or less, the C-17 has received accolades for its role in humanitarian relief, as well. When the tsunami struck Southeast Asia in December 2004, the C-17 delivered 2.4 million pounds of relief supplies in 30 days. In the early days of the Afghanistan conflict, C-17s air dropped more than 2.4 million meals.

A life-saving capability designed into the C-17 is its aeromedical mission. C-17s routinely fly into combat zones and dirt fields, land, offload cargo and troops-then pick up casualties and fly them to major hospitals in the U.S. and Germany. This mission combines the C-17's unique tactical and strategic abilities with its aeromedical system, and one of the results is that every troop casualty in Iraq and Afghanistan that has gone on a C-17 aeromedical mission has safely made it back to a major hospital. With more than 25,000 aeromedical patients, there has not been a single death en route.