In May 2020, a U.S. Air Force C-17A Globemaster III landed at Osan Air Base in Gyeonggi Province. The C-17A, a massive strategic transport aircraft measuring 173.9 feet in length, had departed from the U.S. mainland. Its flight path, detected on an overseas civilian aircraft tracking site, sparked speculation among military experts of a covert operation against North Korea. However, the aircraft was actually carrying unexpected equipment.
Controversial equipment, including an aging generator, electronic data collection gear, interceptor missiles surpassing their operational limit, and launch tubes, was airlifted into the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) base in Seongju, Gyeongbuk, using a transport aircraft.
The Boeing-developed C-17 transport aircraft can carry a maximum load of 169,776 pounds and fly over 4,725 miles. It can simultaneously carry one M1 tank, three Stryker light armored vehicles, and six armored vehicles. Its transport capacity is about four times that of the Korean Air Force C-130J Super Hercules, which can carry a load of 44,092 pounds or 90 soldiers.
The C-17A is utilized for U.S. presidential foreign trips, carrying the presidential vehicle The Beast, Marine One helicopter, escort vehicles, and equipment when the president visits another country on Air Force One. Although the U.S. Air Force has around 220 C-17A transport aircraft, Boeing, the manufacturer, has no intentions to produce more.
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