Lockheed C-5B Galaxy
The largest aircraft ever operated by the US military, the C-5 Galaxy actually began at the request of the US Army, which needed a transport aircraft that could fly outsized and heavy loads such as tanks. Neither the older C-133 Cargomaster nor the newer C-141A Starlifter was capable of carrying such loads. The USAF issued a requirement for a Cargo Experimental-Heavy Logistics System (CX-HLS) aircraft in 1964: the aircraft would need to carry 180,000 pounds over long range using only four engines. The latter was quite daunting, as the earliest CX-HLS proposal was estimated to need six engines. General Electric in turn developed the revolutionary TF39 high-bypass turbofan, which had unrivaled efficiency, thrust, and fuel consumption. The CX-HLS had its engine; now it needed a manufacturer. Though five companies submitted proposals, it came down to Boeing’s proposal—a low-winged, conventionally tailed aircraft with the cockpit in a hump above the fuselage—and Lockheed’s, which was essentially an upscaled C-141 with a second deck above the cargo bay for both cockpit and passengers. Both included a hinged nose and large rear ramp, and through-fuselage loading. Though the USAF liked Boeing’s proposal, Lockheed’s was cheaper, and it was selected the winner in December 1965. Boeing’s proposal would go on to become the 747 airliner.
Production began on what was now named the C-5 Galaxy, and the sheer size of the aircraft proved the biggest obstacle. Everything about the C-5 was king-sized and nearly twice as large as anything an aircraft company had ever attempted: the fuselage itself was longer than the Wright Brothers’ first flight. Design of the wings was the toughest task—not the wings themselves, but how they could get the C-5 into the air without cracking under the strain. It was estimated that the entire fleet would likely not make it to the end of airframe hours without heavy wing cracking. Other problems kept pushing back the Galaxy’s operational debut: though the first aircraft flew in June 1968, the first aircraft was not delivered until two years later, after going $1 billion over budget and triggering several Congressional investigations into cost overruns and outright fraud. Lockheed itself stayed in business only through US government loans, as the company had bet everything on the success of both the C-5 and the L-1011 Tristar airliner, and neither program was doing well.
The C-5 did eventually reach wing strength by 1971, and was immediately put to hard use transporting vital equipment to Vietnam to support operations there. Continued teething troubles led crews to nickname the C-5 “FRED” (Fantastically Ridiculous Economic Disaster). By the late 1970s, the C-5 was safely rated to carry only 50,000 pounds of cargo, less than half its designed capacity, due to the development of wing cracks. There were calls to scrap the program and the 75 remaining aircraft, but the USAF persisted, citing that the Galaxy could perform missions no other aircraft could. The service pointed to the C-5’s yeoman service during Operation Nickel Grass, the emergency resupply of Israeli forces during the Yom Kippur War, when C-5s were making round trips from Dover AFB in Delaware to Tel Aviv, Israel, carrying 50% of the cargo while only flying a third of the total sorties.
While the Reagan administration was more interested in what would eventually become the C-17 Globemaster III project, the fact that the C-17 was at least a decade off led Congress to authorize both a refurbishment program for C-5As and fifty new C-5Bs. The C-5As were provided with new and stronger wings made of composites that were not available in the 1960s, while the C-5B was an upgraded aircraft. The first refurbished C-5As began reaching the USAF by 1982, while the first C-5B arrived in 1986. These programs eliminated the fatigue crack problem, and finally the Galaxy began proving its full potential. C-5s would prove instrumental in the rapid buildup of Operation Desert Shield, and participated in every military campaign and humanitarian mission undertaken by the USAF in the 1990s.
By the dawn of the 21st Century, the C-5 fleet was beginning to show signs of age, leading to the retirement of the 14 most high-time aircraft in favor of the C-17. However, once more the USAF was faced with the fact that there was no true way to replace the C-5’s enormous payload. As a result, the service began to upgrade all C-5Bs and “younger” C-5As to C-5M standard. The C-5M will use entirely new General Electric F138 engines designed for heavy airliners, which are even more fuel efficient and reliable, along with a “glass” cockpit, GPS, airframe strengthening, and defensive chaff/flare ejectors. The first C-5M reached the USAF in 2008. This upgrade will allow the C-5 to remain in service for the next 20 years. Of 131 C-5s produced, 108 remain in service, with eight lost in crashes or written off due to ground damage over the years.
I have another picture of this aircraft in a closer view of the nose (www.flickr.com/photos/31469080@N07/16759494042/in/photoli...), but recently I found this shot of the entire aircraft, which gives a sense of the enormity of the C-5. Shot at the 1986 Malmstrom AFB airshow, this picture shows the older "Europe Two" camouflage used by MAC units in the 1980s; because of overheating issues, this was switched to the current light AMC Gray. 70-0451 is still in service; today it flies with the 433rd Airlift Wing at Kelly AFB, TX.
Lockheed C-5B Galaxy
The largest aircraft ever operated by the US military, the C-5 Galaxy actually began at the request of the US Army, which needed a transport aircraft that could fly outsized and heavy loads such as tanks. Neither the older C-133 Cargomaster nor the newer C-141A Starlifter was capable of carrying such loads. The USAF issued a requirement for a Cargo Experimental-Heavy Logistics System (CX-HLS) aircraft in 1964: the aircraft would need to carry 180,000 pounds over long range using only four engines. The latter was quite daunting, as the earliest CX-HLS proposal was estimated to need six engines. General Electric in turn developed the revolutionary TF39 high-bypass turbofan, which had unrivaled efficiency, thrust, and fuel consumption. The CX-HLS had its engine; now it needed a manufacturer. Though five companies submitted proposals, it came down to Boeing’s proposal—a low-winged, conventionally tailed aircraft with the cockpit in a hump above the fuselage—and Lockheed’s, which was essentially an upscaled C-141 with a second deck above the cargo bay for both cockpit and passengers. Both included a hinged nose and large rear ramp, and through-fuselage loading. Though the USAF liked Boeing’s proposal, Lockheed’s was cheaper, and it was selected the winner in December 1965. Boeing’s proposal would go on to become the 747 airliner.
Production began on what was now named the C-5 Galaxy, and the sheer size of the aircraft proved the biggest obstacle. Everything about the C-5 was king-sized and nearly twice as large as anything an aircraft company had ever attempted: the fuselage itself was longer than the Wright Brothers’ first flight. Design of the wings was the toughest task—not the wings themselves, but how they could get the C-5 into the air without cracking under the strain. It was estimated that the entire fleet would likely not make it to the end of airframe hours without heavy wing cracking. Other problems kept pushing back the Galaxy’s operational debut: though the first aircraft flew in June 1968, the first aircraft was not delivered until two years later, after going $1 billion over budget and triggering several Congressional investigations into cost overruns and outright fraud. Lockheed itself stayed in business only through US government loans, as the company had bet everything on the success of both the C-5 and the L-1011 Tristar airliner, and neither program was doing well.
The C-5 did eventually reach wing strength by 1971, and was immediately put to hard use transporting vital equipment to Vietnam to support operations there. Continued teething troubles led crews to nickname the C-5 “FRED” (Fantastically Ridiculous Economic Disaster). By the late 1970s, the C-5 was safely rated to carry only 50,000 pounds of cargo, less than half its designed capacity, due to the development of wing cracks. There were calls to scrap the program and the 75 remaining aircraft, but the USAF persisted, citing that the Galaxy could perform missions no other aircraft could. The service pointed to the C-5’s yeoman service during Operation Nickel Grass, the emergency resupply of Israeli forces during the Yom Kippur War, when C-5s were making round trips from Dover AFB in Delaware to Tel Aviv, Israel, carrying 50% of the cargo while only flying a third of the total sorties.
While the Reagan administration was more interested in what would eventually become the C-17 Globemaster III project, the fact that the C-17 was at least a decade off led Congress to authorize both a refurbishment program for C-5As and fifty new C-5Bs. The C-5As were provided with new and stronger wings made of composites that were not available in the 1960s, while the C-5B was an upgraded aircraft. The first refurbished C-5As began reaching the USAF by 1982, while the first C-5B arrived in 1986. These programs eliminated the fatigue crack problem, and finally the Galaxy began proving its full potential. C-5s would prove instrumental in the rapid buildup of Operation Desert Shield, and participated in every military campaign and humanitarian mission undertaken by the USAF in the 1990s.
By the dawn of the 21st Century, the C-5 fleet was beginning to show signs of age, leading to the retirement of the 14 most high-time aircraft in favor of the C-17. However, once more the USAF was faced with the fact that there was no true way to replace the C-5’s enormous payload. As a result, the service began to upgrade all C-5Bs and “younger” C-5As to C-5M standard. The C-5M will use entirely new General Electric F138 engines designed for heavy airliners, which are even more fuel efficient and reliable, along with a “glass” cockpit, GPS, airframe strengthening, and defensive chaff/flare ejectors. The first C-5M reached the USAF in 2008. This upgrade will allow the C-5 to remain in service for the next 20 years. Of 131 C-5s produced, 108 remain in service, with eight lost in crashes or written off due to ground damage over the years.
I have another picture of this aircraft in a closer view of the nose (www.flickr.com/photos/31469080@N07/16759494042/in/photoli...), but recently I found this shot of the entire aircraft, which gives a sense of the enormity of the C-5. Shot at the 1986 Malmstrom AFB airshow, this picture shows the older "Europe Two" camouflage used by MAC units in the 1980s; because of overheating issues, this was switched to the current light AMC Gray. 70-0451 is still in service; today it flies with the 433rd Airlift Wing at Kelly AFB, TX.