The Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a military strategic airlifter in service with the USAF and RAF, it has a high-wing configuration which allows the engines to be kept well clear of the ground which reduces the chance of foreign bodies being ingested by the engines when operating from relatively poor or unpaved runways and has the capability to airlift a 70-ton M1 main battle tank. The C-17 was designed buy McDonnell-Douglas and was ordered for the USAF in 1985, the first flight was on the 15th of September 1991, soon after McDonnell-Douglas went into full production of the C-17 Globemaster they were taken-over by Boeing. Boeing C-17 Globemaster III Specifications: - Crew: Minimum of pilot, co-pilot and loadmaster
- Wingspan: 169.8 feet (51.74 m)
- Length: 174 feet (53.04 m)
- Height: 55.1 feet (16.79 m)
- Maximum payload: 170,900 lb (77,500 kg)
- Maximum takeoff weight: 585,000 lb (265,500 kg)
- Engines: Four 40,440 lbf (180 kN) Pratt & Whitney PW2040's
- Maximum speed: 450 knots (520 mph, 830 km/h)
- Cruise speed: 390 knots (450 mph, 720 km/h)
- Range: 2,400 nm (2,800 mi, 4,400 km)
- Service ceiling: 45,000 ft (13,700 m)
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