Take off, landing improved for C-13

SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill., Sept. 29 (UPI) -- Semi-prepared runway operations testing by the U.S. Air Force found upgrades to the C-17 Globemaster improved take off and landing efficiency by 65 percent.

Through 140 hours of test landings and take offs of the C-17, the U.S. Force Command found a so-called grip tester made the transport craft able to take off on 65 percent of the world's soils. Without the added equipment, that efficiency fell to 6 percent.

U.S. Air Force Maj. James Hill, the chief of test management at AMC headquarters in Illinois, described the test results as a positive development in terms of equipping combat troops and supporting humanitarian relief operations, the U.S. Air Force reports.

"The C-17 SPRO test results will translate into expanded capability since rainy or wet weather conditions won't be such a limiting factor at austere locations with semi-prepared or dirt runways," said Hill.

The grip tester measures friction as part of an Air Force effort to advance mission efficiency and improve operational effectiveness.

The tests were conducted on a variety of dry and wet conditions in undisclosed locations to examine how different soil types held up under the massive C-17.