Lockheed Martin delivered the third production C-5M Super Galaxy—the sixth overall—to the Air Force Aug. 24. The aircraft will undergo internal paint restoration at Stewart ANGB, N.Y., before moving on to its permanent home at Dover AFB, Del., according to a company release. Lockheed is under contract to modernize 52 C-5s through the Reliability Enhancement and Re-Engining Program, which incorporates more than 70 changes and upgrades and is intended to improve fuel efficiency by 10 percent. A Super Galaxy was the first US airlifter to fly directly from Dover to Afghanistan via a polar over flight route in June.
U.S. Air Force F-35s and F-22s regularly deploy deep into the Pacific region from Alaska, Utah, and Hawaii. In the future, though, the head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command would like to see the Air Force permanently station fifth-generation aircraft west of the international date line—closer to China.