Here’s Why Boeing Discontinued The C-17 Globemaster III Military Cargo Aircraft
With its long history in the aviation industry, it’s no surprise that Boeing has seen many changes to its fleets. As aviation technology improves, it is natural that older units will be replaced with more advanced, efficient models, especially when they are no longer as cost-effective to maintain or comply with current mission requirements. Among the many notable Boeing aircraft cut from the factory lines is the C-17 Globemaster III. Originally designed for the United States Air Force, Boeing said goodbye to the C-17 Globemaster III due to budget cuts and lack of demand after more than 20 years of successful delivery.
Although C-17 Globemaster III made its first flight in 1991It took another four years for the first C-17 fleet to become operationally ready. It has gained a reputation as an incredibly versatile aircraft, playing a role in a wide variety of transport missions for troops, cargo and medical evacuation. This is possible in part due to its ability to operate in short getaways and descend as little as 3,000 ft, while also being able to lift quite large payloads, which Boeing claims can reach up to 110,000 lbs in sequential payload drops. Powered by four F117-PW-100 turbofan engines Designed by Pratt & Whitney, the C-17 Globemaster III not only has a maximum takeoff weight of over 290 tons, but also has a whopping 40,440 lbs of thrust per engine.
Read more: 11 of History’s Most Iconic Ground Attack Military Aircraft
Death from lack of demand: The end of the C-17 Globemaster III
He flew a US Air Force C-17 Globemaster III – Brian Bahr/Getty Images
Despite its sustainability, it was not enough for Boeing to continue production of the C-17 Globemaster III. similar Reason for cancellation of 747In 2013, Boeing announced plans to halt C-17 production due to lack of demand. As of the time this article was written, Boeing’s He says 275 C-17s are still operational and 80% are used by the U.S. Air Force.
“The C-17 is a product that appears quite frequently. If we still had a lukewarm production line, there would be a lot of interested customers,” Boeing executive Torbjorn Sjogre said during the 2024 World Defense Expo. FlightGlobal. However, Sjogre shared that restarting production would be expensive.
On the other hand, its proposed successor appears to have no problems taking off. In an interview with FlightGlobalVince Logsdon, Boeing’s vice president of international business development, defense, space and security, said he believes the Boeing P-8A Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft could replace the C-17. USA in February 2024 Department of Defense Ottawa, Canada and Berlin signed a $3.4 billion contract for a fleet of 17 P-8A aircraft scheduled to be delivered to Germany.
Turbulent times for Boeing
Boeing logo in front of office building – Tada Images/Shutterstock
In addition to supplying military cargo aircraft, Boeing is also known for its commercial airlines. Over the past few years, Boeing has been at the center of some controversies, including the unfortunate incident. Emergency door opened in the middle of a conflict on one of the 737 Max planes earlier this year. In January 2024, passengers of an Alaska Airlines flight experienced a nightmare scenario in which the door came off its hinges and ended up in a residential neighborhood in Oregon.
Although there was no loss of life in the Alaska Airlines flight incident, it is not possible to say the same for the incidents caused by Boeing aircraft in the last few years. In 2018, the unfortunate Lion Air crash in Indonesia killed 189 people, while an Ethiopian Airlines flight crashed within the first six minutes of its flight, killing more than 150 people a few months later. non-prosecution agreement The company reached a settlement with the United States Department of Justice following these accidents was met with some controversy.
Why might C-17 be resurrected?
C-17 Globemaster III – United States Air Force
As with anything proven to stand the test of time, fans of the C-17 Globemaster III can be validated by the news of its possible revival. In June 2025, Boeing mentioned talks to restart C-17 production at the Paris Air Show, citing increased demand in Europe. In a statement reported by Shepherd MediaBoeing’s executive vice president and general manager of Boeing Global Services-Government shared: “It’s a very extraordinary effort to do this, but as a reflection of the utility of the aircraft, this is something we’re looking at right now with a particular country that is increasing the possibility of doing this.”
When it comes to revitalizing specific military aircraft lines, product line reboots are not unheard of. After all, this has happened before in different forms, whether it is fleet maintenance, foreign exports or modernization. In the past, there was also an example of heavy airlift aircraft being modernized to suit the needs of the United States Air Force, such as Lockheed Martin’s C-5 Galaxy. Currently known as the largest aircraft in its inventory C-5M Super Galaxy it received both an engine upgrade as well as improved communications and safety systems. Only time will tell if the C-17 will go in that direction, but while the exact buyer (or orders) for the revived C-17s have not been confirmed, we do know that the United States Air Force has decided to go in a different direction.
New generation USAF aircraft under construction
C-17 Globemaster III – United States Air Force
In September 2025, TWZ He reported that the US Air Force has committed to making plans for an entirely new, next-generation aircraft rather than modernization. During the 2025 Air, Space and Cyber Conference, General John Lamontagne stated that the USAF is in the midst of developing the Next Generation Airlift (NGAL) platform. As of this writing, no specific details have been released regarding the Air Force’s latest requirements, other than broad details regarding expected operational improvements such as speed and flexibility. But what we do know is that it is intended to exceed the performance of the discontinued heavy aircraft transports C-17 Globemaster III and C-5M Galaxy.
The ball is still up in the air as to how far this expansion will go, as the USAF has stated that this will begin in the mid-2040s. There have been notable examples in the past of production plans falling through after initial testing, such as the failed trials of the Army’s Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) program. develop attack helicopter. Although it may soon appear at the 2025 Paris Air Show, there is still a chance that the efforts will not be in vain. We also cannot help but mention that there is no confirmed manufacturer yet for this new aircraft, whether it is Boeing, Lockheed Martin or another manufacturer. Knowing this, we will still have to wait more than a decade to see it with our own eyes in the heavens.
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