Lockheed C-5 Galaxy
USA - Air Force
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Lockheed C-5 Galaxy
USA - Air Force
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Lockheed C-5 Galaxy
USA - Air Force
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C-5 Galaxy
The Lockheed C-5 Galaxy is one of the largest aircraft in the world. It can
carry oversize cargo intercontinental ranges and can takeoff or
land in relatively short distances. Ground crews can load and off load the C-5
simultaneously at the front and rear cargo openings.
Mission
The C-5, with its tremendous payload capability, provides the Air Mobility
Command (AMC) intertheater airlift in support of United States national defense.
The C-5 and the C-17 Globemaster III are partners in AMC's strategic airlift
concept. The aircraft carry fully equipped combat-ready military units to any
point in the world on short notice then provide field support required to help
sustain the fighting force.
Features
Features of the C-5 include:
Able to takeoff fully loaded within 8,300 feet (2,530 m) and land within 4,900
feet (1,493 m).
High flotation landing gear with 28 wheels sharing the weight.
Nose and aft doors that open the full width and height of the cargo compartment
to permit faster and easier loading.
A "kneeling" landing gear system that permits lowering of the parked aircraft
so the cargo floor is at truck-bed height to facilitate vehicle loading and
unloading.
Full width drive-on ramps at each end for loading double rows of vehicles.
A system that records and analyzes information and detects malfunctions in more
than 800 test points.
The C-5 is similar in appearance to its smaller sister transport, the C-141
Starlifter, although the C-5 is much larger. Both aircraft have the distinctive
high T-tail, 25-degree wing sweep, and four turbofan engines mounted on pylons
beneath the wings. The Galaxy carries nearly all of the Army's combat equipment
including such bulky items as its 74-ton mobile scissors bridge, from the United
States to any theater of combat on the globe.
The C-5 has four TF39 turbofan engines rated at 43,000 lbf (191 kN) thrust each.
They weigh 7,900 pounds (3,555 kg) each and have an air intake diameter of more
than 8.5 feet (2.6 m). Each engine pod is nearly 27 feet (8.2 m) long.
The Galaxy has 12 internal wing tanks with a total capacity of 51,150 US gallons
(194,370 L) of fuel -- enough to fill 6 1/2 regular size US railroad tank cars.
A full fuel load weighs 332,500 pounds (150,820 kg). A C-5 with a cargo load
of 270,000 pounds (122,000 kg) can fly 2,150 nautical miles (4,000 km), offload,
and fly to a second base 500 nautical miles (900 km) away from the original
destination -- all without aerial refueling. With aerial refueling, the aircraft's
range is limited only by crew endurance.
Background
Lockheed-Georgia Co. delivered the first operational Galaxy to the 437th Airlift
Wing, Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., in June, 1970. C-5s are stationed at Altus
AFB, OK, Dover AFB, DL, and Travis AFB, CA. AMC transferred some C-5s to
the Air Reserve components starting with Kelly AFB, TX, in 1985, followed by
Stewart Air National Guard Base, NY, and Westover Air Reserve Base, MA.
In March, 1989, the last of 50 C-5B aircraft was added to the 76 C-5As in the
Air Force's airlift force structure. The C-5B includes all C-5A improvements as
well as more than 100 additional system modifications to improve reliability and
maintainability. All 50 C-5Bs are scheduled to remain in the active-duty force,
shared by comparably sized and collocated Air Force Reserve Associate units.
Based on a recent study showing 80 percent of the C-5 airframe service life
remaining, AMC began an aggressive program to modernize the C-5. The C-5
Avionics Modernization Program began in 1998, and includes upgrading avionics
to Global Air Traffic Management compliance, improving navigation and safety
equipment, and installing a new autopilot system. Another part of the plan is
a comprehensive re-engining and reliability improvement program which includes
new engines, pylons, and auxiliary power units, with upgrades to aircraft skin
and frame, landing gear, and the pressurization system. This modernization
program will restore aircraft reliability and maintainability, maintain
structural and system integrity, reduce cost of ownership, and increase
operational capability well into the 21st century. Unlike its Russian counterpart,
the Antonov An-124, there are no C-5s in civil service.
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License.
It uses material from the Wikipedia article "C-5 Galaxy".
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