Since the C-17 Globemaster became operational in 1995, 116 of them have been
delivered to the Air Force and the Air National Guard. The manufacturer, the
Boeing Company, of St. Louis, Mo., is scheduled to build a total of 180 of the
mammoth transports by 2008.
The C-17 is 174 feet long. That’s considerably shorter than Lockheed
Martin’s 247 feet-long C-5 Galaxy, but much lengthier than the 93-foot
C-141 Starlifter and the 100-foot MC-130 Combat Talon.
Despite its size, however, the C-17 can take off and land on small, austere
runways as short as 3,000 feet and only 90 feet wide. Such runways are typical
of those that U.S. forces are encountering in Afghanistan, Iraq and other fronts
in the war on terrorism. Even on such narrow runways, the C-17 can turn around,
using a three-point star turn and its backing ability. A loaded C-5, by comparison,
requires 4,900 feet to land, and 12,200 feet to take off.
The C-17’s maximum gross takeoff weight is 585,000 pounds, compared to
769,000 for a C-5, 323,100 for a C-141 and 155,000 for an MC-130. The C-17 is
de-signed to airdrop 102 paratroopers and equipment, compared to 168 for a C-141
and 52 for an MC-130H. A C-5 can seat 73 passengers in its upper deck, six in
its forward upper-deck seats, a relief crew of seven, and eight mail or messenger
couriers.
The C-17 can fly 2,400 nautical miles without refueling, compared to 5,940
for a C-5, 2,500 for a C-141 and 3,110 for an MC-130. The C-17 is operated by
a crew of three, reducing risk and operating costs. The C-5 and C-141 both have
six crew members, and an MC-130H has seven.