· ICAO24 43c172· last seen 1d ago

ZZ172 is a Boeing Globemaster 3, a four-engine jet. SkyMeter has tracked 364 flights totalling 1,100 hours of airtime via ADS-B across 79 callsigns. The most frequent segment is EGVN to EGVN. Service window in our records spans 274 days. Of those flights, 46 (12.6%) carry at least one detected incident — go-around, unstable approach, stall warning, or runway excursion. The Boeing Globemaster 3 has a 170 ft wingspan, a maximum takeoff weight of 585,000 lb.

About the Boeing Globemaster 3

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 flights across airframes and operators, covering distinct routes.

FLIGHTS
364
all time
FLOWN HOURS
1,100
tracked time
📍
AIRPORTS VISITED
38
unique
📡
CALLSIGNS
79
70 routes
📅
SERVICE PERIOD
09/29/2025 → 06/30/2026
first → last
INCIDENT RATE
12.6%
46 flagged

Top routes

By flight count

10
56
14
9
9
3
2
2
2
2

Aircraft specifications

Boeing Globemaster 3

Engines
Quad Jet
Vref (approach)
115 kt
Vmo
350 kt
MTOW
585,000 lb
Wingspan
170 ft
Length
174 ft
Wake category
Heavy

Recent flights

Newest 50 operations of ZZ172

50
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