Details have emerged about the U.S. Air Force plane that secretly flew to Moscow
On the morning of August 25, a U.S. Air Force Boeing C-17 Globemaster III military transport aircraft with tail number RCH4555 landed at Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport. The aircraft arrived from Riga, where it had flown on August 23 from the area of Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland; the purpose of the flight and the identities of those on board are currently unknown.
Thanks to a real-time flight tracking service, it was determined that the aircraft is a U.S. Boeing C-17 Globemaster III.
Its tail number is RCH4555.
The aircraft departed from Riga and landed at Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport.
Prior to that, it had arrived in the Latvian capital from Camp Springs, a U.S. city where Andrews Air Force Base is located. That is where the U.S. presidential aircraft, Air Force One, is based.
Dmitry Peskov, a spokesperson for Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, issued an official statement.
According to him, the Russian authorities have no information about the arrival of a U.S. Air Force plane in Moscow.
Peskov also stated that there are no plans to meet with representatives of the U.S. administration this week.
The Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a heavy American military transport aircraft designed to carry troops, equipment, and cargo over long distances.
It is manufactured by Boeing and entered service with the U.S. Air Force in 1993.
Key characteristics:
- purpose—strategic and tactical airlift, troop and equipment deployment, airborne operations, medical evacuation, and humanitarian missions;
- payload capacity — up to 77.5 metric tons;
- Passenger capacity — up to 102 military personnel or paratroopers;
- crew—three people: two pilots and a flight engineer responsible for loading;
- engines—four Pratt & Whitney F117-PW-100 turbofan engines with a thrust of approximately 18.3 metric tons each;
- maximum speed — approximately 850 km/h or Mach 0.74;
- Length: 53 meters;
- wingspan — approximately 51.8 meters;
- range with maximum payload—approximately 4,400 km without refueling.
The aircraft is also capable of in-flight refueling, which significantly increases its range.
Source: FlightRadar
See also:
NATO is preparing three steps in case of a Russian attack on the Baltic states — Bild.
As a reminder, NATO fighter jets shot down a drone in Latvian airspace.
On August 14, Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs commented on the incident involving a drone that violated the country’s airspace. According to him, the incident confirmed the effectiveness of Latvia’s airspace defense system.
