A 62d Airlift Wing C-17A from McChord Air Force Base banking over  Washington State Cascades Mountains.

On July 30, 1999 hundreds of onlookers witnessed the dawn of a new ear for airlift in the Pacific Northwest they saw the arrival of two of the most capable airlifters ever made  - the Boeing C-17A Globemaster III. McChord received 52 of the very capable planes as a replacement for it's retired workhorse C-141B StarLifter. 

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 capable of performing tactical airlift and airdrop missions when required. The inherent flexibility and performance of the C-17 force improve the ability of the total airlift system to fulfill the worldwide air mobility requirements of the United States. The design of the aircraft allows it to operate through small, austere airfields. The C-17 can take off and land on runways as short as 3,000 feet (914 meters) and only 90 feet wide (27.4 meters). Even on such narrow runways, the C-17 can turn around using a three-point star turn and its backing capability.

The first C-17 (S/N 87-0025) made its maiden flight on Sept. 15, 1991,the flight lasted for more than two hours from the Douglas (now Boeing) Long Beach Plant to Edwards Air Force Base to begin the developmental flight-test program. After initial testing, C-17's began entering its operational service with the 437th Airlift Wing, at Charleston Air Force Base, S.C. on June 14, 1993. The first squadron of C-17s, the 17th Airlift Squadron, was declared operationally ready Jan. 17, 1995. 

The Air Force originally programmed to buy a total of 120 C-17s, with the last one being delivered in November 2004. The fiscal 2000 budget funded an additional 14 C-17s to give AMC the ability to configure 14 existing C-17's for special operations duties replacing C-141 Special Operations Low Level (SOLL) II. Delivery of the original 120 C-17s occurred between 1992 and 2004 at Charleston AFB; McChord AFB, Wash., Altus AFB, Okla.; and at an Air National Guard unit in Jackson, Miss. Basing of the additional 13 aircraft was accomplished at McGuire AFB, NJ between 2004 & 2005. 

During late 2000, Secretary of the Air Force F. Whitten Peters considered dealing the planned 2006 retirement of 63 ANG and AFRES C-141s to 2010. This delay would solve a shortage of "tails" since the C-141's were not being replaced one of one with C-17's. In other words 134 C-17s can only be in half as many places as 270 C-141s. In 2002 Air Mobility Command officials released a long-range airlift plan called the Mobility Roadmap, which calls for up to 60 additional C-17's to eliminate shortfalls in airlift capability. Boeing responded by proposing a follow-on multiyear procurement under which 60 C-17s would be bought at a rate of 15 per year and $152 million per plane (in FY ‘99 dollars, the current average price is about $198 million in FY ‘99 dollars). The additional aircraft would have extended range fuel tanks and a maximum gross takeoff weight of 615,000 pounds, compared to 585,000 pounds on current aircraft.

In May 2002 The USAF was given the green light purchase an additional 60 aircraft under  contract with Boeing worth as much as $10 billion, with production extending through 2007. This contract would bring total production to 180 aircraft replacing aircraft in use at stateside active squadrons and will also be replacing C-130's in Alaska and Hawaii. In 2005, AMC officials were faced with the potential retirement of a number of older C-5 Galaxy airlifters, because of this  The Department of Defense considered an additional buy 42 aircraft worth about $5 billion. The aircraft would extend production of the C-17 through 2011, resulting in a total buy of 222 aircraft. 

The C-17 is operated by the Air Mobility Command at the 62nd Airlift Wing and 446th Airlift Wing at  McChord AFB; 437th Airlift Wing and the 315th Airlift Wing (Associate Reserve), Charleston AFB, SC; the 305th Air Mobility Wing at McGuire AFB, NJ; the 172d Airlift Wing of the Mississippi ANG, and the 452d Air Mobility Wing  of the AFRC based at March AFB, CA (in late 2005). C-17 training accomplished at Altus AFB, OK by the Air Education & Training Command's 97th Air Mobility Wing. 

Boeing has actively marketed the C-17 to many European nations including Belgium, Britain, France and Spain. The UK's 1998 Strategic Defense Review identified a requirement for a strategic airlifter following the protracted procurement of the European airlifter, the Airbus A400M airlifter. The Short-Term Strategic Airlift (STSA) competition began in September of that year. The UK cancelled the competition in August 1999 recognizing that the C-17 met all of its demanding specifications. In May 2000 British Ministry of Defense announced  that the RAF would lease four C-17s from Boeing for an initial seven years with an optional two year extension, with the option to buy the aircraft or return them to Boeing at the end of the lease. 

On May 23, 2001 at a ceremony at Boeings Long Beach factory the RAF's took deliver of its first of four Globemaster (ZZ171, the 77th C-17) the last being delivered in August of that year. 

·         TYPE: Strategic troop / cargo transport

·         POWER: Four Pratt & Whitney F117-PW-100 turbofan engines, each 40,440 pounds thrust

·         SPEED: Maximum speed 570 mph. 

·         RANGE: Unlimited with in-flight refueling, 4,700 nm without cargo

·         MAXIMUM T.O. WEIGHT: 585,000 lbs

·         DIMENSIONS: Span 169 ft 10 in ,  Length 174 ft  Height 55 ft 1 in

·         CARGO COMPARTMENT DIMENSIONS : Height 12ft 4 in, Length 88 ft, Width 18 ft; 

·         CREW: Three; Two Pilots, one Loadmaster.  

·         PRODUCTION TOTALS: (Planned) 180 (C-17A)

·          UNIT COST: $236.7 million dollars

·         McCHORD BASED UNITS:

Air Mobility Command

62d AW ;  4th AS (2002-     ),  7th AS (1999-     ), 8th AS (2001-    ), 10 AS (2003-    ) 

Air Force Reserve / Air Force Reserve Command 

446thAW;  97th AS (2002-    ), 313d AS (2001-    ), 728th AS (1999-    )    

                          PHOTO BY ERNEST WHITE

The newest addition to the Museum collection - - - - -  well some day in the future McChord's first C-17A might be displayed along side McChord's first C-141 s/n -0277. The C-17 in this picture, s/n - 0052 is seen here minutes after its arrival to McChord on July 30, 1999.

On July 30, 1999 the 62d Airlift Wing began receiving it's first of a new fleet of C-17's to replace its C-141 StarLifters. Over the next five years the base would receive a total of 52 aircraft, 47 from Boeing's Long Beach factory, the remaining from other C-17 units. Below you will find lists of the many C-17's assigned to McChord's 62d AW, but for many reasons, some of the aircraft listed may be assigned to other Airlift units. 

Click any serial number for pictures and info for each aircraft.

(Aircraft transferred to other units have been lined out)

98-0052

98-0054

98-0056

99-0166

00-0179

 00-0180

00-0184

03-3122

03-3123

Click any serial number for pictures and info for each aircraft.

(Aircraft transferred to other units have been lined out)

90-0533

90-0535

92-3291

95-0104

96-0003

97-0042

     98-0049

     02-1102

437th Airlift Wing (AMC)

No. 99th Squadron (RAF)

172nd Airlift Wing (ANG)

305th Air Mobility Wing (AMC)

                   93-0600 - - - - - - SPIRIT OF 9-11 - - LET'S ROLL(97 AMW)

                  95-0105 - - - - - - SPIRIT OF 9-11 - - LET'S ROLL(437 AW)

                 00-0174 - - - - - - SPIRIT OF 9-11 - - LET'S ROLL(62 AW)

                     04-4137 - - - - - - SPIRIT OF 9-11 - - LET'S ROLL(305 AMW)

                     05-5143 - - - - - - SPIRIT OF 9-11 - - LET'S ROLL(452 AMW)

                    06-6158 - - - - - - SPIRIT OF 9-11 - - LET'S ROLL(60 AMW)

Reportedly Two C-17's have served as "Air Force One" while transporting the President - 88-0266 on Jan 12,1996 and 95-0106 on December 22, 1997. The "Air Force One" designator is used on any aircraft that transports the President of the United States of America.