Tracking USAF “Reach” military airlift — and what it costs
RCH Watch follows RCH (Reach) callsign missions — primarily C-17 Globemaster III airlift — using publicly broadcast ADS-B data. Every flight is logged with an inferred route and an estimated fuel and taxpayer-cost figure, so the scale of military air mobility is visible and auditable.
At a glance
6,319
Tracked flights
11,334.8
Flight hours
28,147,978 gal
Est. fuel burned
estimate
$98,517,926
Est. taxpayer cost
estimate
ETAR (1560 ops)
Busiest base
2026-04-24 → 2026-09-22
Date range
148 days
Estimates: fuel and cost are modelled from flight duration × a per-type burn rate (C-17 ≈ 2,400 gal/hr) at $3.50/gal of JP-8. Counts are a documented minimum — only watchlisted aircraft broadcasting ADS-B are seen. Full assumptions are on the methodology page.
Estimated cost over time
Latest tracked missions
| Date | Callsign | Aircraft | Type | Route (inferred) | Hours | Dist (nm) | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-22 | RCH745 | 93-0602 | C17 | KDOV → KALO | 2.0 | 818 | $16,724 |
| 2026-09-22 | RCH410 | 06-6156 | C17 | RJTY → RJKA | 1.6 | 692 | $13,784 |
| 2026-09-22 | RCH2021 | 87-0037 | C5M | Mediterranean → LLRM → LLRM | 0.5 | 222 | $6,076 |
| 2026-09-22 | RCH145 | 10-0216 | C17 | KCHS → KRCA | 3.1 | 1,311 | $26,057 |
| 2026-09-22 | RCH5012 | 87-0031 | C5M | YPTN → YPDN → YPDN | 0.6 | 162 | $7,742 |
| 2026-09-22 | RCH2021 | 87-0037 | C5M | ETAR → LGMK | 2.7 | 1,288 | $33,516 |
| 2026-09-22 | RCH410 | 06-6156 | C17 | North Pacific → RJTA → RJTY | 1.7 | 607 | $13,894 |
| 2026-09-22 | RCH138 | 09-9210 | C17 | RJTY → RKSG → RKSO | 2.0 | 667 | $17,119 |
| 2026-09-22 | RCH443 | 92-3291 | C17 | LGMK → ETAD → ETAD | 3.0 | 1,484 | $25,301 |
| 2026-09-22 | RCH118 | 06-6154 | C17 | North Pacific → KSUU → KSUU | 0.7 | 229 | $6,166 |
| 2026-09-22 | RCH4609 | 05-5140 | C17 | KSAV → KRIV → KRIV | 4.6 | 1,854 | $38,447 |
| 2026-09-22 | RCH5036 | 85-0001 | C5M | RJFU → RJDB | 0.2 | 81 | $1,960 |
Browse all daily mission logs →
Top routes, bases & aircraft
Top routes
Busiest bases
- ETAR Ramstein Air Base1560 ops
- KWRI Mc Guire Air Force Bas586 ops
- LGMK Mykonos Island Nationa491 ops
- ETAD Spangdahlem Air Base350 ops
- KBGR Bangor International A300 ops
- KDOV Dover Civil Air Termin291 ops