C-5 Galaxy
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| C-5 Galaxy | ||
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| Description | ||
| Role | Heavy strategic airlift transport | |
| Crew | 7 (pilot, copilot, two flight engineers, three loadmasters) | |
| Dimensions | ||
| Length | 247.1 ft | 75.3 m |
| Wingspan | 222.9 ft | 67.89 m |
| Height | 65.1 ft | 19.84 m |
| Wing area | 6,200 ft² | 576 m² |
| Weights | ||
| Empty | 337,937 lb | 153,285 kg |
| Loaded | 769,000 lb | 348,810 kg |
| Maximum take-off | 840,000 lb | 381,024 kg |
| Powerplant | ||
| Engines | Four General Electric TF39-1 turbofans | |
| Thrust | 43,000 lbf | 191 kN |
| Performance | ||
| Maximum speed | 570 mph | 917 km/h |
| Combat range | 3,749 mi | 6,033 km |
| Ferry range | 7,991 mi | 12,860 km |
| Service ceiling | 34,000 ft | 10.36 km |
| Rate of climb | 1,800 ft/min | 549 m/min |
The Lockheed C-5 Galaxy is one of the largest aircraft in the world. It can carry outsize and oversize cargo intercontinental ranges and can take off or land in relatively short distances. Ground crews can load and off load the C-5 simultaneously at the front and rear cargo openings.
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Mission
The C-5, with its tremendous payload capability, provides the Air Mobility Command (AMC) intertheater airlift in support of United States national defense. The C-5 and the C-17 Globemaster III are partners in AMC's strategic airlift concept. The aircraft carry fully equipped combat-ready military units to any point in the world on short notice then provide field support required to help sustain the fighting force.
Features
Features of the C-5 include:
- Able to take off fully loaded within 8,300 feet (2,530 m) and land within 4,900 feet (1,493 m).
- High flotation landing gear with 28 wheels sharing the weight.
- Nose and aft doors that open the full width and height of the cargo compartment to permit faster and easier loading.
- A "kneeling" landing gear system that permits lowering of the parked aircraft so the cargo floor is at truck-bed height to facilitate vehicle loading and unloading.
- Full width drive-on ramps at each end for loading double rows of vehicles.
- A system that records and analyzes information and detects malfunctions in more than 800 test points.
The C-5 is similar in appearance to its smaller sister transport, the C-141 Starlifter, although the C-5 is much larger. Both aircraft have the distinctive high T-tail, 25-degree wing sweep, and four turbofan engines mounted on pylons beneath the wings. The Galaxy carries nearly all of the Army's combat equipment, including such bulky items as its 74-ton mobile scissors bridge, from the United States to any theater of combat on the globe.
The C-5 has four TF39 turbofan engines, rated at 43,000 lbf (191 kN) thrust each. They weigh 7,900 pounds (3,555 kg) each and have an air intake diameter of more than 8.5 feet (2.6 m). Each engine pod is nearly 27 feet (8.2 m) long.
The Galaxy has 12 internal wing tanks with a total capacity of 51,150 US gallons (194,370 L) of fuel -- enough to fill 6 1/2 regular size US railroad tank cars. A full fuel load weighs 332,500 pounds (150,820 kg). A C-5 with a cargo load of 270,000 pounds (122,000 kg) can fly 2,150 nautical miles (4,000 km), offload, and fly to a second base 500 nautical miles (900 km) away from the original destination -- all without aerial refueling. With aerial refueling, the aircraft's range is limited only by crew endurance.
Background
Lockheed-Georgia Co. delivered the first operational Galaxy to the 437th Airlift Wing, Charleston Air Force Base, S.C., in June 1970. C-5s are stationed at Altus AFB, Okla.; Dover AFB, Del.; and Travis AFB, Calif. AMC transferred some C-5s to the Air Reserve components starting with Kelly AFB, Texas, in 1985; followed by Stewart Air National Guard Base, N.Y.; and Westover Air Reserve Base, Mass.
In March 1989, the last of 50 C-5B aircraft was added to the 76 C-5As in the Air Force's airlift force structure. The C-5B includes all C-5A improvements as well as more than 100 additional system modifications to improve reliability and maintainability. All 50 C-5Bs are scheduled to remain in the active-duty force, shared by comparably sized and collocated Air Force Reserve Associate units.
Based on a recent study showing 80 percent of the C-5 airframe service life remaining, AMC began an aggressive program to modernize the C-5. The C-5 Avionics Modernization Program began in 1998 and includes upgrading avionics to Global Air Traffic Management compliance, improving navigation and safety equipment, and installing a new autopilot system. Another part of the plan is a comprehensive re-engining and reliability improvement program, which includes new engines, pylons and auxiliary power units, with upgrades to aircraft skin and frame, landing gear and the pressurization system. This modernization program will restore aircraft reliability and maintainability, maintain structural and system integrity, reduce cost of ownership and increase operational capability well into the 21st century. Unlike it's Russian counterpart Antonov An-124, there are no C-5's with civil airlines.
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| Modern USAF Series | Miscellaneous | |
| C-5 Galaxy | Attack--OA/A-10,AC-130H/U | RC-135V/W |
| C-17 Globemaster III | Bomber--B-52,-2,-1B,F-117A | OC-135B |
| C-20 Gulfstream III | Fighter--F-15/E ,F-16 | KC-10,-135 |
| C-21 Learjet | Electronic--E-3,-4B,-8C EC-130E/J,H | HC-130P/N |
| C-32 C-22B | Transport--C-5,-17,-141B, -20,-21 | MC-130E/H/P |
| C-130 Hercules | C-22B, -32, -130, -37A, -40B/C | MH-53J/M |
| C-141B Starlifter | Trainers--T-1, -37, -38, -43, -6 | HH-60G |
| C-37A Gulfstream V | Weather--WC-130, -135 | UH-1N |
| C-40B/C Clipper | UAV--RQ-1/MQ-1 UAV, Global Hawk | U-2S/TU-2S |
| VC-25 |
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Trivia
The C-5 aircraft can hold
- 277,000 twelve fluid ounce (355 ml) cans of beverage,
- 76,000 750 ml bottles of wine,
- 752,000 hockey pucks,
- 328,000,000 aspirin tablets,
- 2,400,000 golf balls,
- 10,700 bushels of unshelled Virginia peanuts,
- 25,800,000 ping pong balls,
- 100 Volkswagen Beetles,
- 6 Greyhound buses,
- 3 battle tanks, or
- Enough fuel for the average American car to make 130 round trips from Los Angeles to New York, or to make 31 trips around the world.
Additionally,
- The cargo compartment is big enough for an eight-lane bowling alley.
- The length of the cargo compartment is longer than the distance flown during the Wright brothers' first flight.
- The C-5 fuel load is almost equal to the gross weight of a C-141 Starlifter.
- The rudder area is the same as the wing area on the F-104G aircraft.
- The paint weighs 2,600 pounds (1,200 kilograms).
- The C-5 contains more than 103 miles (165 km) of wire, 4 miles (6 km) of tubing, and 5 miles (8 km) of control cables.
- Each TF-39 engine gulps approximately 42 short tons (38 metric tons) of air per minute.
- Each tire wears down approximately 0.002 inch (0.05 mm) per landing.
- Each engine total power output equals the power produced by 800 average automobiles combined.
External links
http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/c-5.htm
Similar Russian aircraft
- Antonov An-225: largest aircraft
- Antonov An-124: largest aircraft mass producedde:Lockheed C-5