C-5M Super Galaxy upgrades have proven so successful at enhancing the airlifter’s reach, reliability, and efficiency that Air Mobility Command is considering similar, future upgrades to aircraft such as the C-17 and C-130. “We’re looking at all aspects … fuel efficiency is big to me,” AMC boss Gen. Carlton Everhart said at AWS16. “I believe that I’m the largest consumer of fuel because I fly big airplanes … we’re looking at the possibility in the future of needing to re-engine airplanes as they get older,” he added. AMC is hosting an industry day to discuss possibilities to increase legacy fleets’ efficiency and “everything’s on the table,” Everhart said. If you look at the success that we’ve had with the C-5M, we’ve maxed that aircraft out—I mean, almost completely maxed it out, and that aircraft can still take off in 6,000 feet…and when those motors start, they start,” he emphasised. “We can take off from Dover on the East Coast and go all the way to Incirlik, Turkey. We’re doing it all the time … and that’s all based off the engine and the fuel efficiency we get … It’s pretty remarkable.” Lockheed Martin redelivered the 32nd Super Galaxy to AMC last December, and plans call for upgrading 20 more aircraft.
Depot-level maintenance took longer than expected for nearly three-quarters of Air Force aircraft from fiscal 2019-2024, according to a new report, as unplanned repairs rise across the aging fleet. The report, from the Government Accountability Office, also found that the extent of the delays has been masked because officials often revise their target timelines after unplanned work occurs.