Boeing Globemaster 3

Quad Jet· 222 globally registered

The Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is the backbone strategic airlifter for the United States Air Force and allied nations, combining the payload capacity of a heavy transport with the short-field performance of a tactical aircraft. First flown in 1991 and entering service in 1995, the C-17 was designed to replace the aging C-141 Starlifter fleet while addressing its key limitation: the inability to operate from austere forward airfields. With four Pratt & Whitney F117 turbofans producing 40,440 pounds of thrust each, the Globemaster III can carry a 170,900-pound payload including M1 Abrams tanks, Apache helicopters, or 102 paratroopers, yet land on runways as short as 3,500 feet and as narrow as 90 feet. The aircraft's supercritical wing, externally blown flaps, and thrust reversers enable approach speeds around 130 knots and steep tactical descents that would be impossible for conventional heavy transports. Its maximum operating speed of Mach 0.77 and service ceiling of 45,000 feet allow efficient high-altitude cruise, while the cargo floor can withstand the weight of armored vehicles driven directly aboard via the aft ramp. The C-17 has become the workhorse of humanitarian relief and combat logistics worldwide, from Antarctic resupply missions to rapid deployment of field hospitals. Production ended in 2015 after 279 aircraft were built for the US, UK, Australia, Canada, Qatar, UAE, India, Kuwait, and the NATO Heavy Airlift Wing. SkyMeter has tracked 327 flights across 102 airframes and 1 operators, covering distinct routes.