Boeing unveils its C-17 Globemaster III, the benchmark airlifter for the next generation of transport aircraft
					The 21st century airlifter
				Bigger, better, faster – those were the watchwords for the aviation industry’s first century. Scores of companies, big and small, worked diligently to design and build airplanes that steadily moved the state of the art forward. However, the 21st century will have to be different. More than ever before, the remaining aerospace manufacturers and the military services are concerning themselves with affordability and maintainability issues, not just performance. Lean manufacturing and other quality-based systems are now mandatory standards for success. This phenomenon is due in large part to the end of the cold war arms race. And, although it originated from that system, the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III cargo airplane is the perfect example of a 21st-century weapon system. The C-17 provides the US Air Force with a highly reliable, multi-role aircraft with capabilities that previously were parcelled out to separate airframes. In addition, Boeing is providing the life-cycle maintenance and support systems that previously were carried out by the military. This means that the air force gets a better plane with the added benefit of a much more affordable annual operating cost. A USAF C-17 Globemaster III transport flies a low-level training mission In the past, large airplanes carried large cargo into large airfields. Small aircraft carried small cargo into small airfields. That system cost a great deal of money and required many aircraft and many crews. Furthermore, the cargo usually had to be transported to its final destination by truck, rail, ship or air. The C-17 breaks those barriers. It carries large cargoes into small fields where they are needed and requires minimal ground support. In addition, its take-off reliability far surpasses previous aircraft and its maintenance demands are much smaller. Simply stated, the result is the best airlifter in the world. In Kosovo, for example, the lack of large, modern airfields would have been critical without the C-17’s ability to operate effectively in such confines on limited resources. C-17s flew 1,250 missions during the height of the operations, more than half of all airlift missions, and some have continued since. The aircraft’s extremely high reliability rate and its ability to back up and manoeuvre on small runway and ramp space proved invaluable. It will be vitally important to be able to live within one’s budget, yet be able to respond when crises like Kosovo, Bosnia, Somalia or East Timor arise. Even the best military forces in the world are not much of a deterrent if they cannot respond quickly and powerfully to threats and aggression. The next generation of weapon systems should prove to be even better. For example, Boeing is examining concepts for an advanced theatre airlifter that can carry large cargo loads into even smaller unpaved fields. Delivering the cargo where it’s needed saves time, money and often lives. And such airlifters enable rapid changes of landing zone so the enemy cannot deny their use. The C-17 provides military planners with the following advantages. High reliability Military planners need to know how many airplanes are owned and how many they can count on to be ready at any given time. With an average take-off reliability of over 90 per cent, the C-17 is constantly in use. Planners also can expect to use a high percentage of their fleets and can rely on quick turn around for additional missions. Moreover, the maintenance time for out-of-action aircraft is minimal. Austere-field capability Possessing the ability to land and operate at thousands of airfields and austere sites that previously were closed to large airplanes, the C-17 gives planners extreme flexibility as to where they can deliver troops and cargo. In many areas this ability is vital where there are no large, well-stocked airfields. Even where there are, enemy action can limit or eliminate their use. Maintainability The military no longer has the luxury of either the money or the manpower to do all the depot-type maintenance on airplanes it carried out previously. The C-17’s flexible sustainment programme allows Boeing to keep the planes in tip-top condition more cost effectively than previous methods. It starts with design and manufacturing improvements, so that there is less to break or wear out, and when something does, it is easier to fix. Multi-role missions The C-17 has capabilities never before combined in one aircraft. Besides austere-airfield operations, the C-17 performs all manner of air-drop missions and can be used for evacuation of wounded personnel. The aircraft has support equipment on board so no support from en route airfields is required. The single loadmaster can reconfigure the airplane in less than an hour, in flight or on the ground. Rapid response The military must be ready for rapid response to places where they would not have been expected to operate. Warning time has been reduced to just days in many cases. And sending in a military unit that is too lightly armed or poorly supported could turn out be disastrous. Heavy airlift in the tactical environment is additionally important in these circumstances. The C-17 entered operational service with the US Air Force in 1993. In the years since it has become the airlifter of choice for military planners. In more than 150,000 flying hours, the Globemaster IIIs have exceeded every single requirement, setting a new standard for airlift, and for 21st century weapons systems in general. Governments cannot afford to design and operate new single-mission aircraft, and no longer wish to accept heavy maintenance or crew demands. Economy of scale with versatility of operation is what the C-17, and new weapons like it, will provide as the second century of aviation begins. The Wright Brothers, conducting those first tenuous flights in 1903, could not have envisioned what was ahead. Today’s aircraft are marvels of engineering; today’s military capabilities unrivalled. The future will require continued innovation to enable new systems to provide better capabilities at lower life-cycle costs. The Boeing C-17 Globemaster III does that today. And future systems, like the proposed joint strike fighter programme, are learning from the lessons of the C-17. What lies ahead? Be prepared for surprises. © Direct delivery missions to the dirt strip of an austere airfield is one of the many benefits of the C-17 Globemaster III.
	"The military no longer has the luxury of either the money or the manpower to do all the depot-type maintenance on airplanes it carried out previously"
	On a small and busy runway, the aircraft’s ability to back up and manoeuvre is invaluable.