Lockheed Martin announced on Monday that it has received the next funding increment to continue modernizing a portion of the C-5 transport fleet with new engines and reliability improvements. The $344.3 million infusion covers work on 15 aircraft during the low-rate production phase of the C-5 reliability enhancement and re-engining program, or RERP. The company said this news comes upon the heels of the Pentagon acquisition executive’s approval of the funding’s release. RERP is the Air Force’s second major C-5 upgrade initiative. While all 111 C-5s in the fleet are getting a state-of-the-art glass cockpit under a separate project, only 52 C-5s (almost exclusively B-models) will receive the RERP improvements. The C-5s with both sets of new gear are designated C-5Ms. Already, the Air Force has three C-5Ms, all used as test aircraft. The next C-5M is expected to arrive in the fleet come September, said Lockheed.
The Air Force and Boeing agreed to a nearly $2.4 billion contract for a new lot of KC-46 aerial tankers on Nov. 21. The deal, announced by the Pentagon, is for 15 new aircraft in Lot 11 at a cost of $2.389 billion—some $159 million per tail.