Gemini 200 G2CAF646

RCAF Boeing C-17A Globemaster III  1/200

The original lineage of the C-17 dates back to the early 1970s when the US Air Force needed a single aircraft that would combine the carrying capacity of the C-141 Starlifter & C-5 Galaxy, but the versatility of the C-130 Hercules turboprop aircraft. Due to the lessons learned during the Vietnam War, the USAF turned to Boeing and McDonnell Douglas to provide a customized design. Although both manufacturers had complete prototypes (and able to navigate), no choice was chosen. With the end of the wars, the two companies returned to the drawing boards to propose a more modern design and McDonnell Douglas came the winner. On August 28, 1981, the C-17 received the official "green light" from the USAF. First flight on September 15, 1991, the C-17 is now the largest aircraft of the USAF. Filled with modern technology, no other military transport aircraft corresponds to its capacity. Some of these features include a full "glass" cockpit that includes Heads Display (HUD). The performance is remarkable with the possibility of taking off and landing at less than 1400 feet of track. With the refueling capability of the C-17 in flight, the aircraft has a global reach and has more than three times the C-130's capacity to make it the real new foundation of the USAF transport fleet. Despite Boeing's loss to McDonnell Douglas for the contract to build this new transport, an irregular turn occurred at the turn of the century that led to the purchase of McDonnell Douglas by Boeing, thereby securing the C -17 .