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
5,512
Tracked flights
9,841.2
Flight hours
24,409,504 gal
Est. fuel burned
estimate
$85,433,267
Est. taxpayer cost
estimate
ETAR (1388 ops)
Busiest base
2026-04-24 → 2026-09-05
Date range
131 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-05 | RCH317 | 10-0218 | C17 | ETAR → LGKV | 2.0 | 972 | $16,792 |
| 2026-09-05 | RCH316 | 09-9207 | C17 | ETAR → LGKV | 2.1 | 1,017 | $17,959 |
| 2026-09-05 | RCH4609 | 05-5140 | C17 | EINN → North Atlantic | 0.5 | 206 | $4,612 |
| 2026-09-05 | RCH444 | 06-6155 | C17 | MYES → KMWL | 2.8 | 1,317 | $23,545 |
| 2026-09-05 | RCH562 | 02-1112 | C17 | ETAR → ENRO → ENRO | 2.0 | 837 | $17,128 |
| 2026-09-05 | RCH280 | 07-7174 | C17 | North Pacific → KGRF → KGRF | 3.0 | 1,244 | $25,553 |
| 2026-09-05 | RCH4620 | 90-0535 | C17 | EINN → ETAR → ETAR | 1.6 | 743 | $13,398 |
| 2026-09-05 | RCH410 | 90-0533 | C17 | Central Pacific → PHJR → PHIK | 1.0 | 319 | $8,450 |
| 2026-09-05 | RCH140 | 02-1107 | C17 | KSAV → KCHS → KCHS | 0.3 | 89 | $2,486 |
| 2026-09-05 | RCH2191 | 87-0039 | C5M | LGHI → ETAR → ETAR | 3.0 | 1,171 | $36,689 |
| 2026-09-05 | RCH448 | 00-0171 | C17 | North Pacific → KOFF → KOFF | 3.5 | 1,658 | $29,282 |
| 2026-09-05 | RCH456 | 08-8194 | C17 | North Atlantic → ETAR → EHRD | 2.6 | 1,094 | $21,790 |
Browse all daily mission logs →
Top routes, bases & aircraft
Top routes
Busiest bases
- ETAR Ramstein Air Base1388 ops
- KWRI Mc Guire Air Force Bas568 ops
- LGMK Mykonos Island Nationa450 ops
- ETAD Spangdahlem Air Base302 ops
- KBGR Bangor International A260 ops
- KSUU Travis Air Force Base245 ops