End of an Era: Boeing Delivers Last Air Force C-17

Stephen Pope

Tuesday, September 24, 2013 at 09:21 PM ET

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** C-17 Globemaster III**

Key Takeaways:

Boeing delivered the 223rd and final C-17 Globemaster III to the Air Force, concluding two decades of military service for the massive transport aircraft.
The C-17 production line at Boeing's Long Beach, California, plant will shut down by 2015 after remaining foreign orders are built, impacting approximately 3,000 workers.
Despite early design problems, the C-17 evolved into a highly reliable "do-it-all airlift workhorse," achieving the highest readiness rate of any cargo plane in the U.S. military.

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Boeing has delivered the final C-17 produced for the Air Force, two decades after the massive four-engine transport began military duty.

Officials took delivery of the C-17 Globemaster III — the 223rd sold to the Air Force — during a ceremony attended by hundreds of workers at Boeing’s Long Beach, California, assembly plant. The factory will be shut down by 2015 after remaining foreign market C-17s are built. The plant employs around 3,000 workers, Boeing said.