IAF Receives Final C-17 from Boeing

Over the past two decades, no aircraft has served as a mascot to the Long Beach community like the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III. Today, the tenth C-17 ordered by the nation of India departed Long Beach Airport to head to its new home.

Production of various C-17 models will continue until mid-2015, but the India-bound aircraft is the last C-17 on customer order. Boeing has delivered 263 of these planes around the world over the past 21 years – each one designed and manufactured here on Long Beach Airport premises.

When deliveries first began in 1993, the C-17 offered new capabilities for a heavy lift aircraft, especially in disaster situations. Its unique design allows it to carry hundreds of passengers, or objects as heavy as a military tank, and it can also take off and land on shorter runways than other aircraft of similar size.

Foreign nations like Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and even NATO all use the C-17 today. The U.S. Air Force alone has taken delivery of 223 examples of the C-17 Globemaster III for combat and humanitarian missions.

In person, the C-17 is so large and imposing that its versatility seems remarkable, which only adds to its legend. The enormous grey tails, peeking out over walls lining the Boeing perimeter, have been an unmistakable trademark of the Long Beach Airport for more than twenty years. Use the hashtag #C17Legend to share your photos and thoughts on social media.