The first of two upgraded C-5M-SCM Super Galaxy aircraft specifically modified to transport NASA space containers was recently tested to make sure the aircraft met NASA requirements, according to an Oct. 13 release. Officials with Lockheed Martin and Travis AFB, Calif., collected in-flight noise and vibration data by strategically placing 12 microphones throughout the aircraft’s specially modified cargo compartment. The aircraft has been retrofitted with General Electric CF6-80C2 engines as part of the C-5M Reliability Enhancement and Re-Engining Program (RERP). Air Force Space Command requested the test because the new engines provide “22 percent greater takeoff thrust, potentially altering the vibrations generated within the cargo compartment,” states the release. The average clearance between the Space Container Transportation System and the modified aircraft is about one? inch, “leaving little wiggle room should the cargo shift within flight.” NASA is currently analyzing the data to verify the aircraft’s compliance. The second C-5M-SCM is undergoing RERP and is slated to return to Travis in late 2017, states the release.
The Air Force Research Laboratory awarded Kratos Unmanned Aerial Systems Inc. and General Atomics Aeronautical Systems matching $17.7 million contracts for an "Off-Board Sensing Station,” which is an unmanned aircraft that would extend a manned fighter’s sensing range and also potentially carry additional weapons for that aircraft. The cost-plus-fixed-fee contracts…