5th C-17 makes Dover debut

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Kevin Wallace
  • 436th AW Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  Since The Spirit of the Constitution made its debut at Dover Air Force Base June 4, the base has added four C-17 Globemaster IIIs to their existing fleet of C-5 Galaxys. Tuesday, the base received its fifth C-17, which was flown in by the Air Force Academy commandant of cadets.

Brig. Gen. Susan Y. Desjardins arrived on schedule. After flying the craft over the U.S. Air Force Academy cadet area in Colorado Springs, Colo., she landed at Dover AFB and delivered Team Dover's fifth C-17.

Since June, Dover AFB has received a new C-17 from Boeing's Long Beach, Calif., production facility every month on average.

In September, with the receipt of the fourth C-17, Dover AFB was assigned its first Tanker Airlift Control Center commitment. Now, with the arrival of the fifth, Dover will have two C-17s and two crews tasked for real-world TACC missions at any given time.

Dover is projected to take delivery of 13 new Globemaster IIIs by the end of 2008. The next Globemaster III is expected to be delivered in November.