April 04, 2025 — 11:48 am EDT Written by Zacks Equity Research for Zacks -> The Boeing Company BA recently secured a modification contract to support the sustainment of C-17 Globemaster III jets.

Therefore we are ending production under this program." Boeing manufactured a total of 279 C-17 Globemaster III aircraft, and the company says 275 of them are still in service.

The C-17's production lasted well over two decades, with the first unit making its maiden flight in 1991. Boeing had made a total of 279 C-17s, of which 275 continue to remain in service as of 2025.

A U.S. Army M1A2 SEPv2 Abrams Tank is loaded onto the cargo ramp of a U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III during a training event at Ali Al Salem Air Base, Kuwait, January 19, 2022.

The Globemaster III is a giant of a plane, but Lockheed Martin's C-5M Super Galaxy is massive and unrivaled in capabilities, carrying a maximum payload of 281,001-lbs, versus the C-17's 170,900-lbs.

The C-17 Globemaster is designed for strategic military transport with greater stability for heavy oversized cargo. The T-tail design provides advantages like consistent elevator response, stall ...

Boeing delivered its final C-17 Globemaster III nearly a decade ago after 279 four-engine strategic airlifters were produced. However, the aerospace firm continues to support the current fleet and ...

In addition to landing on short runways, the C-17's reverse thrust allows it to turn around a takeoff without the help of a ground vehicle. After landing and offloading its cargo, the Globemaster ...