Now on display at the Air Mobility Command
Museum at Dover AFB, Delaware, C-5A serial
69-0014, which was the last Galaxy assigned
to the Tennessee Air National Guard’s 164th
Airlift Wing, ew its most notable mission in
support of the Space and Missile Systems
Organization’s (SAMSO) Air Mobile Feasibility
Test (AMFD) on October 24, 1974. At the time,
the Galaxy was assigned to the 436th Military
Airlift Wing at Dover.
While operating over the Western Test
Range around 15 miles (24km) west of
Vandenberg AFB, California, a 56ft (17.07m)-
long, 86,000lb (39,009kg) LGM-30B
Minuteman I intercontinental ballistic missile
(ICBM) was deployed from its cargo bay at analtitude of 20,000ft (6,096m). After
being extracted from the Galaxy by a pair of
32ft (9.75m)-diameter parachutes, the missile
separated from a specially-designed cradle.
Once it was stabilized beneath three 32ft
(9.75m)-diameter parachutes, the un-armed
missile’s solid-fuel rst-stage rocket motor
red for 12 seconds. The Minuteman climbed
12,000ft (3,658m) before its fuel was
expended and it dropped into the Paci c
Ocean. Although the test demonstrated the
feasibility of deploying an ICBM from an
airlifter, the concept was not pursued
operationally. Prior to its retirement the
Galaxy had recorded approximately 19,750
ight hours.AIR MOBILE FEASIBILITY DEMONSTRATION AMFD GALAXY
undergoing modifi cations. The RERP
program is expected to cost about $137
million per aircraft and around $7.1 billion
overall.
Follow-on upgrades continue, and testing
of the C-5M Block 3.5.2 software upgrade
was completed at Edwards AFB, California,
in May 2013. OT&E of the software fi nished
in November 2013. The USAF is also
planning to upgrade the Galaxy’s core
mission computer (CMC) and replace its
weather radar due to obsolescence.
Development efforts for that project began in
April 2014, when Lockheed Martin received
an $84.3-million contract from the Air Force.
The contractor is scheduled to complete nine
upgraded C-5Ms during 2015, and delivery
of the 52nd aircraft will take place in spring
2018.Operations
Once fl own by as many as 10 active USAF,
Air Force Reserve Command and Air
National Guard wings, Galaxies are currently
operational at four locations comprising
Dover AFB, Travis AFB, Westover ARB, and
Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. Although
several aircraft are still located in
Martinsburg, West Virginia, they are no
longer operational and are being maintained
in semi-fl yable storage pending transfer to
the 309th AMARG for storage. The 433rd
AW continues to fl y C-5As and the 60th
AMW/349th AMW and 439th AWs are
equipped with C-5Bs. The 436th and the
512th AW have converted to the C-5M.
Increased procurement of C-17As played a
part in the decision to retire C-5As assigned
to several reserve and ANG units. As a result,the Tennessee ANG’s 164th AW and the
AFRC’s 445th AW recently switched to the
C-17A and the 167th AW’s transition is
under way. In fact, the wing fl ew its fi nal
C-5A training mission on September 25,
2014.
Although the 439th AW will also transition
to the C-5M, it will reduce its complement
from 16 to eight aircraft. The 433rd AW will
exchange its current fl eet of 16 C-5As for
eight C-5Ms. The Dover and Travis wings
will each receive 18 C-5Ms.
All C-5M training is carried out at Dover.
C-5A/B training that had been conducted by
the AFRC’s 356th AS at Joint Base San
Antonio-Lackland will conclude in 2015.
The C-5M Formal Training Unit (FTU) is
assigned to the 436th Operations Support
Squadron (OSS) at Dover. Training is
conducted using both the C-5M simulator
and aircraft. The C-5M ‘differences’ course
provides crews with two to three weeks of
academics, three to four simulator sessions,
two aircraft fl ights and a simulator check
ride.
In addition to normal training and
exercises, the C-5M’s seven-member fl ight
crew is typically tasked with several types of
missions:- Channel Missions: accounting for around
60 per cent of AMC’s daily missions, the
vast majority of airlift sustainment is
moved on two types of channel missions.
Distribution channel missions fl y on set
schedules and typically depart on a
specifi ed day and time. Contingency
channel missions are fl own on an as
needed schedule that is based on cargo/
passenger movement required from/to
pre-designated points of the channel. For
C-5 crews, these missions typically last
four to fi ve days.- Special Assignment Airlift Missions:
include airlift requirements for special
pick-up at points other than established
AMC routes or requiring special
consideration because of the number of
passengers involved, the weight or size of
the cargo, the urgency or sensitivity of
movement, or other special factors. In
addition to the Department of Defense,
SAAMs are fl own in support of other
government agencies including the United
States Secret Service, the Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI), and the Drug
Enforcement Administration (DEA). - Contingency Missions: involve
deployment, sustainment, and re-
deployment airlift, and operate in direct
support of an operation order (OPORD).
Over the past 15 years the USAF has
conducted several studies to determine the
number of aircraft required to meet the
nation’s strategic airlift needs. It should be
noted that in 1999 the strategic airlift fl eet of
350 aircraft, which then comprised a mix of
C-5As, C-5Bs, C-17As, C-141Bs and C-141Cs,
provided a capacity of 26 million ton-miles
per day (MTM/D). A 2005 Mobility
Capabilities Study (MCS) concluded that a
fl eet of 112 C-5Ms and 180 C-17As would
enable the USAF to meet the nation’s
strategic airlift needs. The subsequent 2006
Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR)
confi rmed the fl eet size.
More recent studies determined that a fl eet
of 301 strategic cargo aircraft, comprising 222
C-17As, 52 C-5Ms and 27 C-5As was capable
of achieving 35.9 MTM/D and would allow
the retirement of 15 additional C-5As.
Previous to the Fiscal 2012 National Defense
Authorization Act (NDAA), the USAF was
required to keep 316 strategic airlifters.
Subsequently, the 2013 NDAA permitted it
to reduce the fl eet from 301 to 275 aircraft,
comprising 223 C-17As and 52 C-5Ms.
However, the NDAA required that the Air
Force preserve each C–5A that is retired
during a period in which the total inventory
of strategic airlift is less than 301. Each of the
retired aircraft must be stored in fl yable
condition and not used as spares sources.
Under the most recent Program of Record,
the USAF will operate a fl eet of 52 C-5Ms
and 223 C-17As. In 2013, AMC began
conducting a phased retirement of its
remaining C-5As.http://www.combataircraft.net May 2015 7770-77 AMC Part 1- C5 C.indd 77 20/03/2015 11:16