This is the plane the United States uses to evacuate Afghans from Kabul

The images of the immense Boeing C-17 Globemaster III, military gray, rolling down the runway at Kabul airport in the midst of a human tide, taking off with people hanging from their wings and then falling into the void, and finally from their warehouse filled with 700 people, they will enter the story as one of the most embarrassing scenes the American withdrawal from Afghanistan.

A few days later, it was reported that human remains had been found in the aircraft’s landing gear.

The day before these events, on August 15, when the Taliban entered the Afghan capital, Kabul, another US Air Force C-17 was safely evacuated. 823 Afghan citizens, including 183 children. A record in the history of this cargo plane.

Today, the C-17 leaves Kabul as collectives from a bus station. One after another, they load their big bellies through the tailgate, where whole families get on, ride and take off one after the other.

Developed in the 1980s and first used in the 1990s, it is now used by countries around the world for the transport of troops, goods and sometimes people in distress.

An Afghan woman even gave birth to a girl in a C-17 on Sunday. She went into labor as the flight was heading to Ramstein Air Base in Germany, and medics helped transport the boy to the hold of the plane after it landed.

According to US Air Force data, the aircraft is designed to carry up to 77,519 kg Loading.

Armored vehicles, trucks and even the M1 Abrams main battle tank they can board the ship. The Abrams tank weighs 70 tons.

A crew of three

In 2018, these huge planes were seen in Argentina, at El Plumerillo airport in Mendoza or in Ezeiza, intended for the protection of airspace during the visit of US President Donald Trump to the G20 summit.

The crew of three (two pilots and a cargo handler) fill the plane through a loading ramp at the rear.

The Gulf States have made air bases available to the United States and other countries to transport the evacuees.

The C-17 has been operated since 1993 by the United States Air Force, British Royal Air Force, Royal Australian Air Force and Canadian Forces, as well as NATO and the Armed Forces of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. India recently approved the purchase of the C-17.

However, in September 2013, Boeing announced the final closure, for the year 2015, the production of the C-17.

The C-17 Globemaster III is capable of rapidly deploy strategic troops and all types of freight to maintain operational bases or directly create advanced bases.

You can also perform tactical transport and parachuting missions if needed. The performance and flexibility of the C-17 improves the capacity of the United States’ global air transport and cargo system.

The C-17 is powered by 4 fully reversible engines.

With a payload of 72,600 kg and a cruising altitude of 8,500 meters, the C-17 has an approximate range of 4,400 km.

Its cruising speed is around 833 km / h. And it’s designed to work on the slopes 900 meters long and 27 m wide. Also, it can run on unpaved tracks.

During those hours, they transport hundreds of Afghan families. And they are the only key to fleeing Afghanistan.

Clarin editorial staff

ap