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Lockheed C-5 Galaxy

The History of the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy

The initiative of the United States Air Force (USAF), which will eventually produce the Lockheed C-5 "Galaxy" heavy transport aircraft, stemmed from a desire to find a long-haul partner to operate with the USAF's existing fleet of Lockheed C-141s" Star Elevator" strategic transport aircraft. The supplement-oriented C-5 was designed along the same "heavy" (i.e. "super large") strategic line, but then turned into a larger, more ambitious program that eventually faced political and technical challenges. Various hurdles before it became the robust, reliable platform we see today.

While the mission scope is similar to the C-141, the C-5 is designed to provide better performance and longer range for unfueled cargo transport, towing larger, heavier loads anywhere in the worldwhile it goes from There run traditional runways and even unpaved landing areas.

This new aircraft comes from the USAF's growing heavy lift program in the 1960s, which eventually became the "Cargo???Experimental-Heavy Logistics System" (CE-HLS). The service is looking for a four-engine product with a 250,000-pound payload capacity that can travel 3,000 miles without in-flight refueling.

Given the operating weight and horsepower that comes with it, an all-new, fuel-efficient engine is clearly needed. The extra mass required the hull to have fore and aft cargo channels for "straight through" loading and unloading.

The new proposal was drafted in 1964, and some of the more traditional American "big plane" manufacturers, including Boeing, Douglas and Lockheed, responded. The trio entered the design research phase, with GE contracted to develop the engine. Ultimately, Lockheed's proposal outperformed other proposals in terms of cost, although authorities favored Boeing's proposal.

The official announcement was made in September 1965 and the engine became the General Electric "TF39".

Lockheed aircraft carry shoulder-mounted swept-wing main aircraft, each with a pair of overhanging engine nacelles on the leading edge. The flight deck sits above a short, downwardly sloping nose cone with an impressive view of the ground ahead. The nose cone hinges open upwards to allow access to the cargo compartment of the aircraft fuselage.

The rear wing is raised behind the center mass for full access to the rear cargo area. The tail itself was laid out in a "T-shaped" arrangement, with a single vertical fin support mounted on very high level planes (which also returned). To round out the list of details, a new multi-wheel/multi-leg landing gear configuration with fewer than 28 wheels(!) is used to better balance heavy aircraft on the runway.

The typical crew consists of seven people, including three loading supervisors and two flight engineers.

The cargo bay is designed to be large enough to hold anything from a Sikorsky UH-60 or similar helicopter to the more modern Boeing V-22 Osprey system. In addition to aircraft, the cargo bay can accommodate all types of cargo pallets and military vehicles, giving the USAF a comprehensive, theater-independent heavy-duty capability.

The C-5 Galaxy has been the largest aircraft in the world since its introduction in 1970 and remains one of the largest to date (2016) - its dimensions include a wingspan of 222.8 feet, a length of 247 feet and A height from 65 feet.

The first flight of the Galaxy was recorded on June 30, 1968, and the aircraft proved to be heavier than originally planned. This added extra stress to the long-span wings, forcing some changes in their design. As a result, the expected payload capacity is somewhat reduced.

Aside from the technical issues of such a massive project, the ambitious nature of the entire project itself ensured that the C-5 was an expensive beast to develop and procurea product that actually came under fire from Congress several times during its development phase. Testing finally ended in 1969.

Finally, with the arrival of the first production form "C-5A", the bloated program bears some fruit. The service officially launched in June 1970 with delivery to the 437th Airlift Squadron (Charleston AFB). At the time, Lockheed was facing financial problems and needed government support to keep the C-5 program alive. In 1976, it was revealed that the wings were designed to be too light and prone to cracking in order to improve payload/range performance, prompting a new move to redesign the wings for the C-5A.

Other welcome changes include the introduction of a 43,000-pound thrust TF39-GE-1C engine, which increases the maximum take-off weight (MTOW). This work was completed from 1980 to 1987.

"C-5B" is the modified A-type born as an improved version, born in 1982 and entered service in 1986. In addition to the introduction of the Model A (including the wings), upgraded GE engines, updated avionics and improved landing gear welcomed the brand.

The first flight of the C-5B was recorded in September 1985, with 50 deliveries from 1986 to 1989.

The "C-5C" appeared on the B-Type, which is technically considered C-5A(C) SCM = "Space Cargo Modified". As the name suggests, these designs add volume to the interior, although the brand has only completed two. These planes provide NASA with oversized cargo delivery services.

In 1998, as part of the Avionics Modernization Program (AMP), the Galaxy fleet was modernized as a whole, with upgrades to nearly every aspect of avionics, including cockpit displays and autopilot systems. In 2006, a new program (RERP = "Reliability Enhancement and Reengineering Program") aimed at addressing engines to extend the life of aircraft, followed by the introduction of the General Electric F138-GE-100 series, each with 50,000 lbs of thrust . These units now facilitate shorter takeoff times and higher rates of climb, while further addressing other aspects of the larger aircraft to keep this massive machine flying for decades to come.

The latest version based on this modernization program is the C-5M "Super Galaxy".

In addition to these production variants, there were several unrealized forms - the "L-500" was a proposed civilian model that failed not only because of Lockheed's problems, but also because of its There is little commercial interest. Another short-lived offshoot was the specially modified C-5, which was intended to serve as a space shuttle "carrier" for NASA's space shuttle program.

The program eventually replaced the role with the Boeing 747.

The C-5 series serves under the flags of the Military Airlift Command/Air Mobility Command, Air Education and Training Command, Air Force Reserve, and Air National Guard. It has been in combat service (in a support role) since the Vietnam War (1955-1975), was critical to coalition operations in the 1991 Gulf War and later in Yugoslavia, and - most recently - with coalition forces operating in Afghanistan.

In addition to In addition to its obvious military value, the product has contributed to several humanitarian missions around the world.

Due to the project's notorious cost overruns, the C-5 galaxy has been dubbed by some as a "miraculous economic disaster" - or "FRED". The "Galaxy" name continues Lockheed's space-oriented naming convention for its larger aircraft products - "Starlifter", "Constellation" and others.

The C-5A model was produced from 1968 to 1973, while the C-5B model was produced from 1985 to 1989. The two systems bring the total to 131, 81 A-models and 50 B-models. The U.S. Air Force intends to keep the C-5 series flying until 2040.

Current inventory (2016) indicates 26 C-5A and 52 C-5B/C/M variants in service.