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Feature Report
August
2006
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What the C-17 means for Australia
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ABOVE
: C-17 is designed to operate from austere airfields
Australia's decision to buy the C-17 Globemaster III airlifter, with the first aircraft to arrive at RAAF Base Amberley this December, means that the Australian Defence Force and the nation will then have true global airlift capability to transport expeditionary forces and carry cargo volume of unprecedented proportions.
Australia's decision to buy the C-17 Globemaster III airlifter, with the first aircraft to arrive at RAAF Base Amberley this December, means that the Australian Defence Force and the nation will then have true global airlift capability to transport expeditionary forces and carry cargo volume of unprecedented proportions.
The C-17's carrying capacity is impressive: up to 102 battle-kitted troops, 164,000 lbs of cargo on 18 pallets and with provision for 36 aeromedical litters. The C-17 has the carrying capacity of a C-5A but can go anywhere a C-130 can go. To put this capacity in perspective, a C-17 can carry the maximum load of a C-130 on its cargo ramp, and UK operators have assessed each C-17 as equivalent to six C-130s because of the range versus payload issue for intercontinental flights.
To date, the Boeing C-17 Team in Long Beach, California have delivered more than 150 C-17s to the US Air Force, the Air National Guard and the US Army along with four to the Royal Air Force, which has a firm requirement for eight aircraft, Canada is expected to confirm an order for four aircraft to go with an order for 17 C-130Js, and NATO has expressed interest in acquiring up to four aircraft. Australia's first aircraft completed its major join in late-June and is undergoing systems fitment at present.
The level of capability provided by C-17 means that Australia will no longer have to rely on Coalition support for its expeditionary forces or on leased aircraft such as the Antonov An-124 to carry cargo and military equipment that is beyond the capacity of the C-130J. Defence has had to hire aircraft on several occasions to transport outsized equipment and platforms, including carriage of an F/A-18 Hornet to Canada recently as part of the Hornet Upgrade Program, but with C-17 this could be achieved 'in-house'. With the upcoming F/A-18 Centre Barrel Replacement program under Project AIR 5376, a number of Australian Hornets will need to enter the Phase 3.2 program, and the C-17 would provide the option to airlift these airframes to and from the US as a more cost-effective in-house option to ferry flights, which also require air refueling enroute.
With the high operational tempo, supporting deployments particularly to the Middle East and East Timor, the C-17 is expected to have a significant role to play in Australia. The C-17 provides the capability to airlift outsized loads over strategic distances into austere airfields anywhere in the world. Another advantage is the high reliability of the C-17, with greater than 80 per cent availability for operations, which is comparable with civilian airline operations.
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