US Air Force's C-17 Fleet Could Fly for 80 Years Under New Airlift Strategy
- MM24 News Desk
- 5 hours ago
- 4 min read
The U.S. Air Force plans to keep its C-17A Globemaster III fleet flying through 2075—potentially making some aircraft 80 years old—under a new airlift recapitalization strategy.
Air Mobility Command (AMC) aims to field a Next Generation Airlift (NGAL) aircraft by the early 2040s, with full replacement of the C-5M Galaxy by mid-2040s and C-17A by mid-2070s.
Imagine an aircraft that first entered service when the internet was in its infancy still flying when today's toddlers are grandparents. That's the reality the U.S. Air Force is planning for its workhorse C-17A Globemaster III fleet, which could remain in service for an astonishing 80 years under a newly revealed strategy.
While the last C-17 rolled off the production line in 2013, the service now expects to keep these massive airlifters flying through 2075—creating what would be one of the longest service lives in military aviation history.
This ambitious plan comes from Air Mobility Command's newly released Airlift Recapitalization Strategy document, dated November 18, 2025. The strategy outlines a carefully phased approach where a single Next Generation Airlift (NGAL) aircraft will first replace the larger C-5M Galaxy fleet by the mid-2040s before turning to the C-17A replacement.
According to the document, "One NGAL aircraft will replace one C-5M aircraft until the entire C-5M fleet is retired. Then, the C-17A fleet will be replaced by NGAL at a one-for-one swap."
The timeline is both ambitious and precise. With an accelerated Analysis of Alternatives (AoA) scheduled for Fiscal Year 2027, the first NGAL aircraft could roll off production lines as early as FY38, reaching Initial Operational Capability (IOC) by FY41, reported The War Zone. That means the new airlifter could be flying operational missions by the 2040-2041 timeframe if the acquisition process proceeds without delays.
What makes this extended service life particularly remarkable is the tremendous strain the C-17 fleet has endured in recent years. These aircraft have been at the center of nearly every major global crisis, from the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 to the continuous airlift of military aid to Ukraine since Russia's 2022 invasion.
This persistent high-demand usage has created immense pressure on both aircraft and crews, raising questions about how the Air Force plans to keep these planes airworthy for another five decades.
Air Force Gen. John Lamontagne, head of AMC, addressed these concerns during a September roundtable, stating, "The C-17 and C-5... served us well for decades, but they're not going to fly forever, and so we'd like to recapitalize those on our timeline." He emphasized the need to have a replacement plan ready "when the service life starts to erode on the C-17, whether it's wings, engines, or more."
The strategy document acknowledges these challenges directly, noting that "to mitigate risks associated with acquisition delays, funding uncertainties, or technological challenges, the existing C-5M and C-17A fleets' operational viability must be maintained until a fully capable replacement is fielded." This likely means extensive service life extension programs and potentially even re-engining the entire C-17 fleet with more modern, efficient powerplants.
Current upgrade plans already include new beyond-line-of-sight communications suites and potentially new defensive systems to ensure the aircraft remain relevant in future high-threat environments. As Gen.
Lamontagne told The War Zone, for the next-generation platform, "we want agility, we want speed, we want to be able to operate in a higher threat environment" with "countermeasures that are effective against those threats that are coming from increasingly longer ranges."
Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the NGAL program is the Air Force's intention to replace two very different aircraft—the massive C-5M capable of carrying oversized cargo and the more versatile C-17A—with a single type.
The strategy suggests the service might be considering a "system of systems" approach rather than a single aircraft design, though cost concerns remain paramount.
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Several companies are already positioning themselves for what will likely be one of the largest military procurement programs of the mid-century. Lockheed Martin and Boeing have shown various advanced transport concepts in recent years, while newcomer Radia is pitching its massive Windrunner design—though that aircraft remains in early development phases.
The numbers behind this transition are staggering. The U.S. Air Force currently operates 222 C-17As and 52 C-5Ms according to Fiscal Year 2025 inventory figures. By the time the last C-17 retires in 2075, the youngest aircraft will be 62 years old, while the design itself will have served for eight decades. For the C-5M fleet, which began as older B and C variants in the 1980s, the youngest aircraft will be approximately 56 years old at retirement in 2045.
This unprecedented extension of service life represents both pragmatic budgeting and remarkable confidence in aircraft durability. It also underscores the immense challenge of developing a successor capable of meeting future airlift demands in potentially contested environments.
As the Air Force moves forward with its NGAL program, the world will be watching to see if the replacement can possibly match the longevity of the legendary aircraft it's destined to succeed.
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