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Aircraft · Air

C-17 Globemaster III

Transport aircraft for strategic delivery, tactical airlift and airdrop.

by Boeing · First fielded 1993

FieldedAircraftAirInitial operating capabilityJan 17, 1995
af.mil/about-us/fact-sheets/display/article/1529726/c-17-globemaster-iii
A C-17 Globemaster III in flight over Dover Air Force Base

Photo: Photo by Balon Greyjoy via Wikimedia Commons · CC0 1.0 · Resized and reencoded as WebP; no additional crop.

Milestones19811995
  1. MilestoneEarliest documented public appearance: published C-17 rendering, confirmed
  2. First flightC-17 maiden flight, confirmed
  3. First deliveryFirst production C-17 delivered, confirmed
  4. Initial operating capabilityFirst C-17 squadron operationally ready, confirmed

Timeline4

  1. MilestoneConfirmed

    Earliest documented public appearance: published C-17 rendering

    Earliest supported public appearance found in the sources reviewed for this research; not a claim of the first-ever announcement or original unveiling. Earlier evidence may revise this date. A named rendering appears on printed p. 137 of the December 1981 Air Force Magazine supplement. Uses publication-month precision and replaces the earlier inferred 1981 unveiling record.

    SourcesAir Force Association / Jane’s

  2. First flightConfirmed

    C-17 maiden flight

    SourcesC-17 Globemaster III > Air Force > Fact Sheet Display

  3. First deliveryConfirmed

    First production C-17 delivered

    SourcesC-17 Globemaster III > Air Force > Fact Sheet Display

  4. Initial operating capabilityConfirmed

    First C-17 squadron operationally ready

    SourcesC-17 Globemaster III > Air Force > Fact Sheet Display

Solid entries are confirmed, outlined reported, dashed estimated or still to come; dotted italic entries are speculative. Dates show only the precision the sources give.

Built with1

Operators8

  • AUAustralia
  • CACanada
  • INIndia
  • KWKuwait
  • QAQatar
  • AEUnited Arab Emirates
  • GBUnited Kingdom
  • USUnited States
First fielded
1993

Sources5

  1. 1.
    OtherThe Most Insane Flight On The C-17 Globemaster (At Night)

    Sam Eckholm · Sep 6, 2025 · Supports: System · name

    “C-17”
  2. 2.
    OtherThe Most Insane Flight On The C-17 Globemaster

    Sam Eckholm · Jan 18, 2025 · Supports: System · name

    “C-17”
  3. 3.
    CompanyPratt & Whitney To Deliver Final Production F117 Engine to the U.S. Air Force- January 12, 2016

    Supports: System · operator countries, System · system component:f117

    “F117 engines power nine C-17 fleets around the world, including the Royal Australian Air Force, the British Royal Air Force, the Royal Canadian Air Force, the Qatar Emiri Air Force, the United Arab Emirates Air Force, the Indian Air Force”
  4. 4.
    Government recordC-17 Globemaster III > Air Force > Fact Sheet Display

    Supports: System, System · first fielded year, System milestone

    “The aircraft can perform tactical airlift and airdrop missions”
  5. 5.
    NewsAir Force Magazine, December 1981: Jane’s All the World’s Aircraft supplement, p. 137

    Air Force Association / Jane’s · Supports: System milestone

    “Artist's impression of the McDonnell Douglas C-17”

Each fact on this page is attached to the sources that support it. Archived copies are linked when we keep one.