Elmendorf officially received its first C-17 Globemaster III, named the “Spirit of Denali”. It was delivered by Alaska’s Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell.
Elmendorf is the Pacific Air Forces second location for it’s C-17s.
The nation’s newest airlifter will allow Elmendorf to improve its ability to accomplish the mission of global reach by delivering people and supplies anywhere – anytime.
The C-17 mission will be operated and maintained by the active duty Air Force and Alaska Air National Guard. The C-17 replaces the C-130 in the 517th Airlift Squadron and is a new platform for the Guard.
Alaska provides a unique advantage for global delivery because it is strategically located near the center of the northern hemisphere. The airlift mission at Elmendorf will transform with the change to C-17s. Global direct delivery will be the mission focus, while continuing to work closely with the Army supporting Fort Richardson Soldiers and the Stryker Brigade.
The Globemaster, a Boeing aircraft first built in 1993, is considered the most flexible cargo carrier in the Air Force. In replacing the smaller C-130 it can speedily deliver scores of troops and their gear to various war zones, directly through a landing or by parachute.
The plane is nearly 175 feet nose to tail and has a wingspan almost as long – 170 feet. Its four engines are those that power Boeing’s 757 passenger jet. Its maximum gross takeoff weight – the heaviest it can be and still get off the ground – is more than a half-million pounds. The Globemaster can do something that Bush pilots are likely to admire: As large as it is, this beast of a plane can land on a runway made of gravel or crushed rock, one as short as 3,500 feet.
