Lockheed Martin workers earlier this month inducted the first C-5B Galaxy transport from Travis AFB, Calif., into the company’s Reliability Enhancement and Re-Engining Program modification line in Marietta, Ga. Tail No. 0008 is the 12th C-5B to enter the Marietta plant for conversion to the new C-5M Super Galaxy standard, announced the company May 9. The upgrades include new engines and reliability improvements. Overall, this aircraft is the 15th of 52 C-5s (one C-5A, 49 C-5Bs, and two C-5Cs) that the Air Force is updating to the new standard. This airframe is scheduled for delivery to Dover AFB, Del., in 2013, after its transformation, according to Lockheed Martin.
The Air Force’s nascent KC-Z program, aimed at developing a next-generation family of systems for aerial refueling, will look to launch its analysis-of-alternatives study in 2024, years earlier than originally planned. Originally, the analysis of alternatives for KC-Z was set for “maybe in the 2030s,” Paul Waugh, program executive officer…