C-17 Globemaster III

The C-17 is a long-range, heavy-lift cargo/transport aircraft intended to combine oversized inter-theater cargo-lift capacity with ease of operation from semi-improved airfields. The original specifications stated that more than 40 percent of the 8,500 operational missions would have low-altitude, high-speed cruise segments and conduct 5-degree glideslope landings to short, austere fields.

The C-17, which is approximately the same size as the retired C-141 Starlifter, also has the...