Wow: The US Air Force will keep its C-17 Globemasters flying until 2075
November 26, 2025
The USAF now plans to keep its C-5M Super Galaxies in service until around 2045 and its C-17 Globemaster IIIs flying until 2075. These are the two strategic airlifters supporting USAF’s global operations, with the C-130J Super Hercules serving a tactical role.
USAF’s Next Gen Airlift not ready until 2041
A new memo by the US Air Force Materiel Command states its “current recapitalisation projections require C-5M viability until 2045 and C-17A viability through 2075.” It then says, “Next Generation Airlift (NGAL) will replace both the C-5M and C-17A fleets as the next inter-theatre airlift platform.”
The memo writes that with an accelerated NGAL Analysis of Alternatives in fiscal 2027, as well as an uninterrupted acquisition process with consistent funding, the replacement airlift could be produced by fiscal 2038 or around 13 years from now. However, the aircraft would not enter service and reach Initial Operational Capability until fiscal 2041.
It explains that NGAL will replace the existing 52 Lockheed C-5M Super Galaxy aircraft on a one-for-one basis, and then it will move on to replacing its 222 C-17 Globemaster IIIs on a one-for-one basis.
It remains unclear what shape the NGAL will take. The USAF is pushing for aircraft to be runway independent, so it may want a VTOL aircraft. The topic of stealth is also an open question for a future strategic airlifter/tanker.
The US-based company, Radia, has pitched its Windrunner as a potential solution or perhaps a partial solution. The aircraft has far more cargo volume than the Super Galaxy, although less payload capacity.
Also in the mix is JetZero, which is pitching its blended wing Z4 as the solution to efficient, flexible large airlift requirements.
USAF to upgrade its existing C-17 Globemasters III
The Lockheed C-5 Galaxy was originally designed in the 1960s, although 50 of the 52 airframes remaining in service were built during the 1980s. The C-17 Globemaster III first entered service in 1995, and the last was delivered in 2013. The youngest C-17 will be 62 years old when it retires in 2075.
To keep its workhorse C-17s flying, the Air Force has planned upgrades to ensure they keep flying. They are already getting beyond-line-of-sight communications suites. According to The War Zone, new defensive systems could also be on the horizon.
Defense One reported the Super Galaxy only managed a 48% mission-capable rate in 2024 due to maintenance and supply-chain issues. The Air Force is trying to boost the readiness rate to 55%, but it will continue to grapple with the fact that there are only 52 of these out-of-production aircraft in existence (apart from hulks in the boneyard).
Big aircraft. Bigger questions.
— Radia, Inc. (@RadiaWindRunner) November 5, 2025
Radia CEO Mark Lundstrom sat down with @air_logistics to talk all things #WindRunner — the #WorldsLargestAircraft redefining air mobility.
Read the full Q&A: https://t.co/3a2jE9p1lO
Meanwhile, the C-17 has boasted a readiness rate of 75%, although the aircraft has been involved in 21 class-A mishaps over the last four years.
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The outside possibility of Boeing restarting C-17 production
One issue for the USAF is that both of these aircraft are out of service, and this creates issues for spare parts and maintenance. There is essentially no chance that the C-5 would be put back into production. However, The War Zone reported in June 2025 that Boeing is mulling restarting the C-17 programme.
Reported USAF orders for the C-17 never materialised, although there are multiple, unnamed export customers interested in purchasing the C-17 if it were available. One likely candidate is Japan.
Turbo Sjogren, VP and general manager of Boeing Global Services-Government Services, stated that restarting the C-17 would be a ” very extraordinary effort to do.”
Outside of China and Russia, no aircraft on the market fills a similar role to the C-17. The European Airbus A400M is a smaller aircraft designed to bridge the gap between the C-130J and the C-17. The Embraer C-390 Millennium is a tactical airlifter comparable to the C-130J.
The C-17 is still the gold standard for strategic air transport. It can carry a 77 tonne M1 Abrams MBT or two M2 Bradley IFVs. Such a pity the UK bought only 8. Given the need to increase net capabilities, I just wonder if Boeing will re-start the production line. pic.twitter.com/LbrLTsWILb
— Nicholas Drummond (@nicholadrummond) January 16, 2024
Should Boeing restart the C-17, it would likely ease the maintenance burden for the USAF with its existing C-17s, while also providing the opportunity to purchase new airframes if it needed them as a stopgap.
Featured Image: United States Air Force
