Description
The Weapon System
The C-17 Globemaster III is the newest, most flexible cargo aircraft to
enter the airlift force. The C-17 is capable of rapid strategic delivery
of troops and all types of cargo to main operating bases or directly to
forward bases in the deployment area. The aircraft is also able to
perform tactical airlift and airdrop missions when required.
The operational requirements include an aircraft mission completion success probability of 92 percent, only 20 aircraft maintenance manhours per flying hour, and full and partial mission capable rates of 74.7 and 82.5 percent respectively. The Boeing warranty assures these figures will be met.
The C-17 measures approximately 174 feet (53 meters) long with a wingspan of 169 feet, 10 inches (51.76 meters). The aircraft is powered by four fully reversible Pratt & Whitney F117-PW-100 engines (the commercial version is currently used on the Boeing 757). Each engine is rated at 40,440 pounds of thrust. The thrust reversers direct the flow of air upward and forward to avoid ingestion of dust and debris. Maximum use has been made of off-the-shelf and commercial equipment, including Air Force-standardized avionics.
The aircraft is operated by a crew of three (pilot, copilot and loadmaster), reducing manpower requirements, risk exposure, and long-term operating costs. Cargo is loaded through a large aft door that accommodates military vehicles and palletized cargo. The C-17 can carry virtually all of the Army's air-transportable equipment.
Maximum payload capacity of the C-17 is 170,900 pounds (77,519 kilograms), and its maximum gross takeoff weight is 585,000 pounds (265,352 kilograms). With a payload of 160,000 pounds (72,575 kilograms) and an initial cruise altitude of 28,000 feet (8,534 meters), the C-17 has an unrefueled range of approximately 2,400 nautical miles. Its cruise speed is approximately 450 knots (.74 Mach). The C-17 is designed to airdrop both equipment and 102 paratroopers.
The design of the aircraft lets it operate through small, austere
airfields. The C-17 can take off and land on runways as short as 3,000
feet (914 meters) and as narrow as 90 feet (27.4 meters) wide. Even on
such narrow runways, the C-17 can turn around using a three-point star
turn and its backing capability.
As of August 2002, the C-17 had flown over 12,000 sorties in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, 54% of all strategic airlift sorties in support of this operation (and 99% of the strategic airlift sorties flown into Afghanistan). This included 20 detainee missions and 194 humanitarian air drop missions. ³Firsts² included the longest C-17 flight in history (21.8 hours) and the first strategic airlift operation by a C-17 into an undeveloped dirt landing strip in support of a combat mission. July 02 mission capable rate was 87%.
Production Status, Population, and Planned Life
The C-17 is in production. The C-17 made its maiden flight on Sept. 15,
1991, and the first production model was delivered to Charleston Air
Force Base, SC, on June 14, 1993. The 17th Airlift Squadron, the first
squadron of C-17s, was declared operationally ready Jan. 17, 1995. As of August 2002, 94 aircraft had been delivered, and a new multiyear order for an additional 60 has been approved. The bulk of the inventory will be at Charleston AFB and McChord
AFB, WA C-17s will also be at Altus AFB, OK and an Air National
Guard unit at Jackson, MS.
Prime contractor: The Boeing Company
Office of Primary Responsibility: C-17 System Program Office, Wright Patterson AFB, OH
R-TOC Focus Areas: (From USD (AT&L) memorandum dated May 10, 1999)
- Reduced demand from weapon systems via reliability and maintainability improvements
- Pitot static probe re-design (funded) to reduce corrosion and double probe life (anticipated 25:1 ROI)
- Proposed adaptation of Comanche helicopter engine on board inert gas generating system bleed pressure regulator; if approved, this initiative will increase MTBF from ~225 hours to ~4900 hours and cut repair cost in half.
- The project office is examining a variety of potential R-TOC initiatives, focusing on high failure rate items and material improvement projects
- Reduced supply chain response times, leading to reduced spares, system support footprint, and depot needs
- Total weapon system readiness responsibility
- Single point manager responsible for integrating all spare part issues, including non-ICP spare parts with SSM, DLA, ALC, AMC, AETC, ASC, and any other agency
- Has developed/procured commercial data systems for total asset visibility
- Competitive sourcing of product support, leading to streamlining and overhead reductions
- The C-17 SPO is pursuing a Flexible Sustainment strategy
contract on a trial basis. The Flexible Sustainment is an interim
support strategy utilizing a performance-based contract, measuring
key system-level metrics.
This will transition to a Total Systems Support Responsibility (TSSR) contractor logistics support arrangement in the 2005-6 timeframe. Under TSSR, Boeing will be responsible for total systems support (e.g., program management, air vehicle maintenance, sustaining logistics, supply chain management, software sustainment, sustaining engineering) and will partner with the Air Force depots for Core functions.
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