Why The C-17 Globemaster Can Taxi Backwards Without A Tow Truck

The Boeing C-17 Globemaster III has been explicitly designed to be able to reverse at austere airports and to conduct three-point turns while carrying a full load. This is an important set of features that allow it to be versatile and to operate from forward airstrips where infrastructure is rudimentary, and where the airstrip is as narrow as 75 feet (23 meters).