The U.S. Air Force’s C-17 airlifter is capable of carrying combat-ready military units, including tanks and artillery, almost anywhere in the world. The 175 foot-long C-17 has a wingspan of 165 feet and a tail height of 55 feet.

This large and advanced aircraft is assembled in a 1.1-million SF facility, which was designed and constructed by The Austin Company. Austin added 700,000 SF to an existing 400,000 SF building previously used to build the DC-10 jet airliner. The Austin design team wrapped the new space around the old in a u-shaped configuration.

The magnitude of the C-17 plant can be gauged by its capacity to handle final assembly of 10 airlifters simultaneously in just one third of its total area. Assembly bays are 780 feet-long, 202 feet-wide and 100 feet-high to the roof parapet. The interior height is 80 feet to the bottom chord of the truss.