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
796
Tracked flights
1,385.4
Flight hours
3,372,662 gal
Est. fuel burned
estimate
$11,804,316
Est. taxpayer cost
estimate
ETAR (199 ops)
Busiest base
2026-04-24 → 2026-06-22
Date range
60 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-06-22 | RCH333 | 04-4134 | C17 | LGMK → EDDR → ETAR | 3.0 | 1,244 | $24,940 |
| 2026-06-22 | RCH562 | 00-0180 | C17 | North Atlantic → North Pacific | 1.6 | 631 | $13,238 |
| 2026-06-22 | RCH783 | 93-0603 | C17 | LGMK → ETAR → ETAR | 3.2 | 1,276 | $26,527 |
| 2026-06-22 | RCH208 | 98-0056 | C17 | KCXO → KIAB → KIAB | 1.2 | 459 | $10,374 |
| 2026-06-22 | RCH468 | 57-1499 | K35R | Mediterranean → LLBG → LLBG | 0.7 | 222 | $6,826 |
| 2026-06-22 | RCH468 | 57-1499 | K35R | EGUN → LGKO | 3.3 | 1,547 | $30,626 |
| 2026-06-22 | RCH783 | 93-0603 | C17 | LLBG → Mediterranean | 0.3 | 110 | $2,680 |
| 2026-06-22 | RCH4180 | 06-6157 | C17 | K76F → KWRI → KWRI | 2.7 | 1,184 | $22,554 |
| 2026-06-22 | RCH215 | 95-0104 | C17 | ETAR → LTFM | 2.4 | 1,076 | $19,841 |
| 2026-06-22 | RCH162 | 02-1106 | C17 | LGMK → EDDR → ETAR | 3.1 | 1,296 | $26,334 |
| 2026-06-22 | RCH562 | 00-0180 | C17 | ETAR → North Atlantic | 1.9 | 802 | $15,632 |
| 2026-06-22 | RCH208 | 98-0056 | C17 | North Pacific → KCXO → KCXO | 3.9 | 1,881 | $33,113 |
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