Background Story:

The C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft developed for the United States Air Force in the 1980s and early 1990s.
The C-17 is based on the YC-15, a smaller prototype transport designed in the 1970s. It was intended to replace the C-141 Starliner, while also fulfilling some of the missions of the C-5 Galaxy. The redesigned transport differed from the YC-15 in that it had swept wings, was larger in size, and had more powerful engines. A series of design issues delayed the development process, causing the company to lose nearly $1.5 billion during the development phase of the project. The first C-17 took its maiden flight on September 15, 1991, about a year behind schedule. The C-17 officially entered service with the United States Air Force on January 17, 1995. , and continued to produce the C-17 for nearly two decades. The last C-17 was completed at the Long Beach, California, factory and flew for the first time on November 29, 2015.
The C-17 routinely performs tactical and strategic airlift missions, transporting troops and cargo around the world; other roles include medical evacuation and airdrop missions. The transport aircraft serves with the U.S. Air Force as well as the air forces of heavy airlift wings in India, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and European multilateral organizations. The aircraft played a key logistical role during Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq, and provided humanitarian assistance following various natural disasters, including the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the 2011 Sindh floods, and the 2023 Turkey-Syria earthquake.