As the world unites to combat the spread of COVID-19, Boeing products and services are enabling some critical aspects of the global response.

The C-17 Globemaster III is at the forefront of this effort with its unrivaled capability, versatility, and reliability. The U.S. Air Force and eight international customers have flown their C-17s to complete life-saving missions and deliver medical aid.

Boeing Global Services teams around the world are providing aircrew training, as well as aircraft sustainment and modernization support to enable success of these missions.

Since February 2020, Boeing’s customers have been dispatching their C-17s on a multitude of missions. They’ve delivered personal protective equipment, carried critical medical supplies, repatriated citizens, and transported COVID-19 patients.

To ensure these missions are completed successfully, Boeing field teams provide technical and logistics support around the clock under a performance-based logistics contract where customers pay for aircraft readiness and capability, not specific parts or services.

“We are extremely proud of the close partnership we have shared with our customers and the benefits of that partnership are being magnified now more than ever,” said Mark Angelo, C-17 Services vice president at Boeing Global Services. “We are committed to the C-17 mission, our U.S. Air Force customer and our eight global C-17 partners. Our employees are very proud to know their work is making a real difference as we continue to support troops and humanitarian efforts around the world.”

Currently, 275 C-17s operate globally. The aircraft's largest customer is the United States Air Force, with 222 in 16 bases. Additionally, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, India and the 12-nation Strategic Airlift Capability all operate the aircraft.

The Globemaster III is set to achieve a major milestone in early 2021: four million flight hours. It will be one of the fastest military cargo platforms to ever reach that milestone.