Lockheed Martin inducted the 11th C-5 Galaxy into its modification line for enhancement to the C-5M Super Galaxy configuration, announced the company. At its facility in Marietta, Ga., Lockheed Martin will swap the aircraft’s engines out for more efficient commercial-type General Electric turbofans as part of the Reliability Enhancement and Re-engining Program. Technicians will also modify roughly 70 areas on the airframe to improve maintenance down time and maximize aircraft availability. Already fitted with digital cockpit displays and new avionics, this C-5B, serial number 86-0017, is assigned to the 436th Airlift Wing at Dover AFB, Del. It entered the line on Feb. 1, nearly two months after the previous aircraft entered it. Overall, the Dover C-5B will be the 14th aircraft to transform into a C-5M. That’s because three C-5s received the upgrades before the production line began full operations. In total, the service plans to upgrade 52 C-5s to the Super Galaxy standard.
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Innovation has always been a hallmark of the U.S. Air Force. But with the accelerating pace of technology development, the service needs a new approach to modern design to make the latest technologies profoundly more accessible.