The Boeing Company today announced a contract award from the U.S. Air Force that will keep the C‑17A Globemaster III flying and mission-ready for decades to come. The contract provides for the design, manufacture, integration, qualification and military certification of a modernized flight deck for the C‑17A. The program replaces critical avionics and mission essential equipment with modern, modular open systems architecture (MOSA) that enables plug‑and‑play enhancements and ensures the fleet can adopt new capabilities rapidly and affordably.
The McDonnell Douglas/Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft developed for the United States Air Force (USAF) during the 1980s and the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas. The C-17 carries forward the name of two previous piston-engined military cargo aircraft, the Douglas C-74 Globemaster and the Douglas C-124 Globemaster II. Boeing delivered 275 C‑17A aircraft between 1993 and 2015. The Air Force received 222 and our international partners received 53, forming what is now a well-established fully integrated virtual fleet support system across nine partner nations.
“The C‑17A has been the backbone of global air mobility for over three decades. With the U.S. Air Force requirement to keep the C-17A viable through 2075, we already have a clear and achievable roadmap to support their needs, and the needs of our international partners around the globe. By resolving avionics obsolescence and introducing MOSA, we’re preserving a proven, highly dependable, heavy airlifter and keeping it at the forefront of performance and efficiency for decades to come,” said Travis Williams, Vice President of United States Air Force Mobility & Training Services, Boeing.
In June 2025, it was announced that Boeing was in talks with an international customer to restart the production of C-17s, and that several other countries were interested in the prospect. There is speculation that the United States may be interested in buying new C-17s, as there is currently no replacement planned for existing C-17s or the aging C-5 Galaxy. Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba stated that the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force would be interested in acquiring C-17s. A leading global aerospace company and top U.S. exporter, Boeing develops, manufactures and services commercial airplanes, defense products and space systems for customers in more than 150 countries. U.S. and global workforce and supplier base drive innovation, economic opportunity, sustainability and community impact. Boeing is committed to fostering a culture based on our core values of safety, quality and integrity.
