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
4,083
Tracked flights
7,127.2
Flight hours
17,556,985 gal
Est. fuel burned
estimate
$61,449,448
Est. taxpayer cost
estimate
ETAR (982 ops)
Busiest base
2026-04-24 → 2026-08-06
Date range
105 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-06 | RCH430 | 03-3123 | C17 | KDOV → CYQI | 1.1 | 595 | $9,551 |
| 2026-08-06 | RCH540 | 96-0002 | C17 | KPSM → CZBF | 0.9 | 397 | $7,283 |
| 2026-08-06 | RCH5005 | 00-0171 | C17 | WSAP → WION | 0.9 | 400 | $7,963 |
| 2026-08-06 | RCH589 | 02-1099 | C17 | North Atlantic → KWRI → KWRI | 3.0 | 1,193 | $24,780 |
| 2026-08-06 | RCH045 | 89-1190 | C17 | LERT → Mediterranean | 1.1 | 493 | $9,173 |
| 2026-08-06 | RCH271 | 60-0316 | K35R | LICZ → LFBH | 2.2 | 1,029 | $20,674 |
| 2026-08-06 | RCH681 | 99-0058 | C17 | Central Pacific → Caribbean | 1.0 | 437 | $8,148 |
| 2026-08-06 | RCH661 | 00-0177 | C17 | KDOV → KI39 | 1.0 | 411 | $8,450 |
| 2026-08-06 | RCH727 | 90-0535 | C17 | ETAR → EDFM | 0.3 | 95 | $2,184 |
| 2026-08-06 | RCH049 | 57-1468 | K35R | Mediterranean → LLBG → LLBG | 0.5 | 134 | $4,471 |
| 2026-08-06 | RCH2066 | 87-0039 | C5M | KNGU → North Atlantic | 1.7 | 804 | $20,482 |
| 2026-08-06 | RCH303 | 89-1191 | C17 | North Atlantic → ETAR → ETAR | 1.6 | 706 | $13,129 |
Browse all daily mission logs →
Top routes, bases & aircraft
Top routes
Busiest bases
- ETAR Ramstein Air Base982 ops
- KWRI Mc Guire Air Force Bas404 ops
- LGMK Mykonos Island Nationa400 ops
- ETAD Spangdahlem Air Base250 ops
- KBGR Bangor International A199 ops
- KCHS Charleston Internation163 ops