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
7,426
Tracked flights
13,406.9
Flight hours
33,428,313 gal
Est. fuel burned
estimate
$116,999,096
Est. taxpayer cost
estimate
ETAR (1835 ops)
Busiest base
2026-04-24 → 2026-10-16
Date range
172 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-16 | RCH4913 | 09-9209 | C17 | LGHI → LKTB | 1.8 | 896 | $15,313 |
| 2026-10-16 | RCH121 | 95-0104 | C17 | ETAR → LKCS | 0.8 | 323 | $6,653 |
| 2026-10-16 | RCH640 | 07-7189 | C17 | HESC → ETAD → ETAD | 4.9 | 1,937 | $41,294 |
| 2026-10-16 | RCH200 | 09-9210 | C17 | East China Sea → East China Sea | 0.7 | 433 | $6,023 |
| 2026-10-16 | RCH045 | 04-4138 | C17 | KSAV → KBGR → KBGR | 2.2 | 978 | $18,068 |
| 2026-10-16 | RCH419 | 93-0600 | C17 | HE36 → ETAR → ETAR | 4.7 | 1,798 | $39,295 |
| 2026-10-16 | RCH4984 | 08-8197 | C17 | LGHI → ETAR → ETAR | 3.0 | 1,192 | $25,175 |
| 2026-10-16 | RCH4907 | 08-8204 | C17 | ETAR → Mediterranean | 2.2 | 1,149 | $18,816 |
| 2026-10-16 | RCH121 | 95-0104 | C17 | North Atlantic → ETAR → ETAR | 2.2 | 902 | $18,648 |
| 2026-10-16 | RCH344 | 06-6157 | C17 | RJTY → ROAH → RODN | 2.6 | 902 | $21,655 |
| 2026-10-16 | RCH2075 | 87-0043 | C5M | KSUU → North Pacific | 1.1 | 411 | $13,892 |
| 2026-10-16 | RCH804 | 03-3117 | C17 | ETAR → EGPK → EGPK | 1.6 | 598 | $13,238 |
Browse all daily mission logs →
Top routes, bases & aircraft
Top routes
Busiest bases
- ETAR Ramstein Air Base1835 ops
- KWRI Mc Guire Air Force Bas603 ops
- LGMK Mykonos Island Nationa529 ops
- ETAD Spangdahlem Air Base377 ops
- KDOV Dover Civil Air Termin376 ops
- KBGR Bangor International A337 ops