McDonnell Douglas C-17 Globemaster III

The C-17 Globemaster III is a conveyer (of material mainly) built by McDonnell-Douglas (gathered today in Boeing) at the beginning of the Années 1980, it is used by the United States Air Force and the Royal Air Force. The line production will be closed from here a few years, one believed this imminent closing, but of new financings authorized by the congress push back it somewhat.

Design

Conceived at the beginning of the Years 1980 under designation C-X; The first prototype of the C-17A stole on September 15th, 1991.

The first deliveries began in 1993. The US Air Force ordered 120 of them, and the R.A.F has 4 of them.

Its crew is complete with a pilot and copilot, and an employee with the loading. He can carry 154 passengers, 102 parachutists or 76.655 kg of freight.

Engagements

C-17 was used for military operations, but also to convey of the humanitarian aid. It was mainly used for the Guerre of Afghanistan in 2001 but also for the Guerre in Iraq of 2003.

Users

USAF is naturally the largest user of the plane. It lays out of more than 180 apparatuses and the deliveries continue, the American Congress having agreed to finance some planes moreover which will make it possible to maintain the line production active until 2010 - the sales with the export of such an expensive plane are inevitably limited, and do not justify its production alone. At present, the Royal Air Force is the only other user of C-17, four specimens are rented for seven years (a fifth should be added).

The Royal Australian Air Force should buy four apparatuses. In the long term, the plane should find some customers in Europe. Even if the Airbus A400M constitutes the pillar of the European means of projection, some C-17 would constitute a useful auxiliary to transport the heaviest loads, like the tanks, which exceed the capacity of the European plane. The Flygvapnet, the Koninklijke Luchtmacht and the Flyvevåbnet (respectively: Sweden, Netherlands and Denmark) is interested by C-17, but its purchase is difficult to make accept by the Parliaments concerned.

The Air force of Canada received its first Boeing C-17, named Canada One, on August 11th, 2007. Another plane will suivrera during the month of November 2007 and two other C-17 should be oppérationnel for the summer 2008. The cost of purchase of the 4 planes is of 3,4 billion dollars and included their talks for one long period. C-17 are renamed CC-177 for the Air forces of the Canada. The 4 planes will be based with the military base of CFB Trenton, in the province of the Ontario.

See too

List of the military aircrafts

Site of the Air forces of Canada==Sources==

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