Due to possessing many superior features, in addition to the main task of transporting soldiers and military equipment to serve US campaigns and bases around the world, the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is nicknamed “Pack horses” are also often deployed as aerial hospitals as well as transporting vehicles and belongings of the US President and his entourage on foreign trips.
According to Airforce Technology, the C-17 was developed by McDonnell Douglas for the US Air Force (USAF) from the 1980s to the early 1990s. This super transport aircraft was designed to replace the Lockheed C- The 141 Starlifter is obsolete and performs the same missions as the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy model.
McDonnell Douglas merged into Boeing Corporation in 1997. After completing orders for the USAF in 2015, Boeing continued to produce C-17 for export to other countries.
The C-17 is one of the largest aircraft in the world, with a length of 53m and a wingspan of 51.75m. The aircraft is equipped with 4 Pratt & Whitney F117-PW-100 turbofan engines, capable of generating 180 kN of thrust per engine, allowing the transport of a large volume of goods across continents without delay. No refueling required.
C-17 can reach a maximum speed of more than 810 km/h and fly to a height of 13.7 km. During testing, this super plane set 33 world records, including time to reach flight ceiling and short takeoff/landing distance when transporting cargo.
With 20 tons of cargo, the C-17 only needs a takeoff/landing distance of about 427m. With 76 tons of cargo, the plane needs a takeoff distance of 2,316m but only a landing distance of 914m on a rough runway.
According to Military.com, thanks to a maximum load of nearly 80 tons, the C-17 can carry 102 soldiers, 54 patients and medical staff, 36 stretchers as well as more than 77 tons of other special goods such as 1 vehicle. M1 Abrams tank or 3 Strykers combat vehicles or 6 M1117 armored vehicles.
Although the aircraft is large in size, the crew consists of only 3 people: the captain, the co-pilot and a specialist in charge of cargo and load. In case of medical evacuation mission, the crew will be supplemented with 5 additional members including 3 doctors and 2 nurses.
To date, 279 C-17s have been shipped, with an average price of about 218 million USD/unit. In addition to the US, this aircraft model is also deployed to serve the air forces of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), UK, Australia, Canada, Kuwait, Qatar, India and the United Arab Emirates. best.