Lockheed C-5 Galaxy
The C-5 Galaxy is a very big military cargo aircraft made by Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin) used by the United States Air Force. It is the largest aircraft being used with the United States Air Force.[4] It first flew in 1968 and was introduced in 1970. It is one of the biggest transports in the world. It is 247 feet (75 meters) long, 65 feet (19 meters) high, has a wingspan of 222 feet (67 meters), and can weigh up to 840,000 pounds (378,000 kilograms).[5]
| C-5 Galaxy | |
|---|---|
 | |
| A United States Air Force C-5 in-flight | |
| Role | Strategic airlifter |
| National origin | United States |
| Manufacturer | Lockheed |
| First flight | 30 June 1968[1] |
| Introduction | June 1970 |
| Status | Operational Active: 36 Reserve: 37 ANG: 21[2] |
| Primary user | United States Air Force |
| Produced | C-5A: 1968–1973 C-5B: 1985–1989 C-5M upgrades: 2006–present |
| Number built | 131 (C-5A: 81, C-5B: 50) |
| Unit cost | C-5B: US$168 million (1987)[3] |
It is used to fly military equipment on to battlefields, and because of its size, it can even carry tanks and helicopters. Five C-5s have crashed.
A newer version has recently been introduced, the C-5M "Super Galaxy." It can carry up to 281,001 pounds (127,460 kg).[6]
Lockheed C-5 Galaxy Media
One of the first C-5A models is given a final inspection before testing in the Arnold Engineering Development Complex 16-foot transonic wind tunnel at Arnold Air Force Base in the mid-1960s.
The fourth C-5A Galaxy 66-8306 in the 1980s European One color scheme
A Galaxy undergoing the AMP and RERP upgrades, to become a C-5M
Lockheed C-5 Galaxy loading on a wet ramp in Bush Field, Georgia
Loading an M1A1 Abrams tank onto a C-5 Galaxy
C-5A Minuteman Air Mobile ICBM Feasibility Demonstration – 24 October 1974
Personnel unload cargo from a C-5 Galaxy at Pegasus Field, an ice runway near McMurdo Station, Antarctica, in 1989
A C-5 taking off from Robins AFB
Instrument panel of a C-5A
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References
- ↑ Bakse 1995, p. 91.
- ↑ Mehuron, Tamar A., Assoc. Editor. "2012 USAF Almanac, Fact and Figures." Air Force Magazine, May 2008.
- ↑ Congressional Budget Office 1986, p. 47.
- ↑ "C-5 A/B/C Galaxy and C-5M Super Galaxy". 4th Air Force, United States Air Force. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
- ↑ Federation of American Scientists, C-5A/B Galaxy
- ↑ "C-5M Super Galaxy". United States Air Force. Retrieved 23 September 2024.
