The global C-17 Globemaster III fleet achieved another milestone in the storied history of the airlifter, commemorating the 3 million flight hours mark during a mission flown this week from Robins Air Force Base in Georgia to Joint Base Charleston in South Carolina. USAF officials picked a “representative mission” that was flown by a mix of crew from the 437th and 315th Airlift Wings at Joint Base Charleston and Boeing. The airlifter chosen was C-17 P-198, which had undergone modification work at Warner Robins.  

“Every time the news is on and there’s a call for assistance or unquestionable capability, the C-17 is part of the story,” said Colonel Amanda Myers, C-17 System Program Director at Robins AFB, Georgia.  

According to the Air Force, 3 million flight hours is the equivalent of flying around the Earth 55,555 times, 2,948 trips to the moon, or a single C-17 flying nonstop for 342 years. Previously, the C-17 fleet reached the 1 million flight hour mark in March 2006 and the 2 million flight hour mark in December 2010.  

In all, Boeing has built and delivered 223 C-17s to the USAF and 44 to global customers. Through the C-17 Globemaster III Integrated Sustainment Program, Boeing’s Global Services & Support team has helped keep the mission going for the C-17 fleet since the first delivery in 1993. The program uses Performance-Based Logistics (PBL) contracting and a partnership with the Air Force to maintain the highest levels of aircraft readiness for the C-17 global fleet, while continuously reducing the cost of ownership.  

“The C-17 is where and when the nation calls, wherever that is, to go to war or promote peace,” said Myers. “Our mission is to acquire and obtain safe, effective and unrivaled global reach capability.”  

Check out this video of the C-17 arrival in Charleston following the milestone flight: