A US Air Force C-17 Globemaster III recently sat unflyable for nearly 17 months because no supplier would build the tooling to make one nose panel. The aircraft returned to service on July 30, 2026, only after a US Air Force research unit formed the part using a robot instead, the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) disclosed. The airlifter, tail number 01-0194, belongs to the Air Force Reserve Command’s 445th Airlift Wing at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. Production of the C-17 ended in 2015, but the US Air Force intends to operate the type for decades more. The panel is the first incremental sheet forming component to fly on a US Air Force aircraft.