A U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster III roars off the ground from the austere airfield at Barstow-Daggett, CA during a thirty-day Air Force operation evaluating the aircraft's capabilities. Twelve C-17s from the Air Force's first operational unit, the 437th Airlift Wing at Charleston AFB, SC participated in the operation, transporting Army and Air Force equipment, supplies and personnel from Charleston and Pope AFB in North Carolina to and from the California airfield as well as other bases in the U.S. and Europe. Barstow-Daggett, located in California's Mohave Desert, simulates a forward operating base for a wartime contingency operation.