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| Australian C-17s in Japan 2011 on a HA/DR mission |
Having touched down on Indian soil on 18 Jun 2013, the IAF’s latest acquisition C-17 Globemaster-III made its maiden flight to the Andaman & Nicobar Islands on 30 Jun 2013. Climbing an altitude of 28,000 feet with an unrefueled range of 2400 nautical miles, the aircraft landed at Port Blair to induct the rotational Infantry Battalion into the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
Manufactured by Messrs Boeing of the United States, the C-17 Globemaster-III is a heavy-lift transport military aircraft, developed for the United States Air Force (USAF). India has become the largest customer, of this sophisticated aircraft, after the United States. C-17 Globemaster-III is 174 feet in length, with a wing span of 170 feet. The maximum all up weight is 2,65,350 kg, with an ultra modernized palletized cargo handling capability.