C-5M Super Galaxy • wp.archivoaereo.com

Research revealed that 80% of flying C-5s have a high residual airframe life. This allowed for the initiation of a modernization program for all remaining C-5B and C-5C, and many C-5A aircraft. In 1998, the Avionics Modernization Program (AMP) began, equipping the aircraft with global air traffic management compatibility, improved communication systems, new LCD displays, and enhanced navigation equipment. The first flight of a C-5 AMP occurred on December 21, 2002.

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Key Modernization Programs

The next stage of modernization was the Reliability Enhancement and Re-engining Program (RERP). This phase involved the installation of new GE CF6-80C2 engines, new engine pylons, and an auxiliary power unit. Plans also included replacing structural elements of the fuselage and skin, the landing gear, cockpit, and air conditioning system. The CF6 engines provide 22% more thrust (240 kN), which reduces takeoff distance by 30% and increases climb rate at sea level by 38%. Furthermore, cargo capacity and flight range are enhanced due to the new engines’ efficiency. C-5 aircraft that completed both modernization programs received the designation C-5M Super Galaxy.

Thanks to the AMP and RERP programs, the goal is to achieve at least 75% constant readiness for the fleet. A total of 111 C-5 aircraft are planned for modernization.

C-5M Super Galaxy Capabilities

In 2004, Lockheed Martin began developing the modernized C-5M Super Galaxy, and flight tests commenced in the summer of 2006, with its first flight on June 19. The C-5M, like its predecessors, is designed for strategic cargo transport between theaters of military operations. Its maximum payload capacity reaches 120 tons, made possible by fuselage strengthening. Concurrently, the power plant was updated, replacing the TF39-GE-1C engines with more economical CF6-80C2 (F108-GE-100) engines from General Electric.

There was a proposal to equip “Ruslans” (An-124s) with these same turbofan engines (instead of the domestic D-18s) for more economical air transportation in NATO’s interest, but it did not materialize. Media outlets extensively discussed this situation, ultimately concluding that the Americans feared installing their “top-secret” engine on Russian aircraft, anticipating it would be inevitably copied, and therefore demanded an exorbitant price. As a result, today NATO pays for the “appetites” of the Russian D-18 from its budget, and Europe, gritting its teeth (and holding its nose and ears), tolerates the notorious “environmental unfriendliness and noisiness” of the Russian aero engine.

The C-5M also features modern communication and information processing systems, allowing the aircraft to operate in challenging meteorological conditions. In November 2006, the second C-5M prototype flew. Several loading configurations are provided: 363 fully equipped soldiers; 36 463L cargo platforms; two M60 or M1A1 tanks; one M1A1 tank and two M2 Bradley IFVs; four M551 tanks and a Hummer vehicle; ten LAV-25 armored vehicles; six Black Hawk helicopters; one CH-47 Chinook helicopter; five M113 APCs; or two sealed containers with Minuteman ICBMs.

Future and Deployment

The US Air Force plans to modernize 111 C-5A, C-5B, and C-5C aircraft to the C-5M variant between 2009 and 2020.

Technical Specifications

Модификация	C-5M
Размах крыла, м	67.8 9
Длина самолета,м	75. 30
Высота самолета,м	19.8 4
Площадь крыла,м2	576.00
Пустого самолета	1 53285
Нормальная взлетная	3 48810
Максимальная взлетная	3 81000
Тип двигателя	4 ТРДД General Electric CF6-50
Тяга, кн	4 х 282.5
Максимальная скорость, км/ч	917
Крейсерская скорость, км/ч	888
Практическая дальность, км	6033
Практический потолок, м	10400
Экипаж, чел	7
Полезная нагрузка:	270 солдат или 75 пассажиров и 15 человек персонала или 118387 кг груза