Having touched down on Indian soil on June 18, the IAF's latest acquisition C-17 Globemaster-III made its maiden flight to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on June 30.
Climbing an altitude of 28,000 feet with an unrefueled range of 2400 nautical miles, the aircraft landed at Port Blair to induct the rotational Infantry Battalion into the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Manufactured by Messrs Boeing of the United States, the C-17 Globemaster-III is a heavy-lift transport military aircraft, developed for the United States Air Force (USAF).
India has become the largest customer, of this sophisticated aircraft, after the United States. C-17 Globemaster-III is 174 feet in length, with a wingspan of 170 feet. The maximum all up weight is 2,65,350 kg, with an ultra modernized palletized cargo-handling capability.
