Paris Air ShowBoeing mulls restart of C-17 Globemaster III production line
Boeing has confirmed that it is evaluating the potential restart of the C-17 Globemaster III production line, which was shut down in 2015 after the last aircraft delivery.
The news came to light at the 2025 Paris Air Show on June 17, during a press briefing with Turbo Sjogren, Vice President and General Manager of International Government Services at Boeing Global Services.
Asked by the ESD, Sjogren noted that while there is no successor currently planned for the C-17, a strategic and tactical airlifter capable of carrying up to 77.5 tonnes, Boeing is actively working with the U.S. Air Force and international operators on lifecycle extension and modernization programs for the existing fleet.
In response to a question about the need for aircraft capable of carrying main battle tanks (MBTs), a task that platforms like the Airbus A400M, Embraer C-390, and Kawasaki C-2 cannot perform, Sjogren revealed that one unnamed country has shown recent interest in restarting production.
However, the discussions are very early-stage, he said, and would depend heavily on economic factors and global demand.
279 C-17 built
Reports by Kyodo News suggest that Japan could be the country in question. In early 2025, Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba met with former U.S. President Donald Trump and expressed Tokyo’s willingness to acquire U.S.-built airlifters, despite none currently being in production.
From 279 aircraft built, there are currently 276 C-17s in operation worldwide, including with the air forces of the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, India, Qatar, Kuwait, and the UAE, as well as NATO’s Heavy Airlift Wing based in Pápa, Hungary.
In Europe, only the Royal Air Force (RAF) operates the C-17 independently, with a fleet of eight aircraft. NATO’s Strategic Airlift Capability (SAC) program manages three additional C-17s, shared by 12 participating nations, including recent alliance members Finland and Sweden.
Should production resume, Boeing would face the challenge of reactivating its former manufacturing line in Long Beach, California, which was closed a decade ago.
Nonetheless, Boeing has demonstrated flexibility in the pastt, notably by building 10 “white tail” C-17s, all of which were later sold.
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