The US Department of Defense has contracted Lockheed Martin to deliver maintenance and logistics support for the US Air Force’s C-5M Super Galaxy fleet.
The $56-million deal supports a broader avionics modernization project implemented by the military to improve the readiness of the military transport planes.
This project aligns with the service’s goal to sustain the strategic aircraft capability of the Air Mobility Command and Air Force Reserve Command, which are critical, mission-ready units dedicated to mobility, air-to-air refueling, airlift, humanitarian assistance, and international transport requirements.
Work for the contract will be facilitated in collaboration with the air force’s C-5 Galaxy contracting office in Robins Air Force Base, Georgia.
Lockheed is scheduled to complete the effort by May 2026.
The C-5M Super Galaxy
The US Air Force’s C-5M is the largest aircraft in the service’s stockpile.
To date, 52 of the systems in various configurations operate from their home bases in California, Delaware, Massachusetts, and Texas.
Each C-25M measures 247 feet (75 meters) long, has a wingspan of 223 feet (68 meters), and is operated by a crew of seven.
It can carry up to 36 463L standardized master pallets or about 281,000 pounds (127,459 kilograms) of payload.
The plane is powered by four General Electric F138-100 turbofan engines and a 51,150-gallon (193,624-liter) fuel tank.
It travels at a speed of Mach 0.79 (606 miles/975 kilometers per hour), has a range of 7,000 nautical miles (8,055 miles/12,964 kilometers), and an operational altitude of 41,000 feet (12,497 meters).
