Last C-5B upgraded with modern avionics

  • Published
  • By Maj. Robert Couse-Baker
  • 349th Air Mobility Wing public affairs
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  The last C-5B Galaxy to be upgraded under the Avionics Modernization Program was delivered in a ceremony Aug. 25. 

Col. Robert Swain, commander of the 439 Airlift Wing, Westover Air Reserve Base, Mass., accepted the aircraft for his wing. 

"It is a great occasion to be a part of another milestone in the legacy of the C-5 Galaxy. It will ensure the unique capability of moving outsized cargo anywhere in the world 24/7 for many more years to come," Colonel Swain said. 

Modification of the C-5A fleet continues at both Travis and at Dover Air Force Base, Del., where Lockheed Martin is upgrading the aircraft. Current plans call for the entire 111-aircraft C-5 fleet to receive the AMP modifications. 

"Completing the B-model fleet marks a significant milestone for the AMP program," said Lorraine Martin, Lockheed Martin C-5 vice president. 

"We are at the halfway point in AMP aircraft redeliveries, and our modification teams have consistently been on or ahead of schedule," she said. 

The AMP is the first part of a two-phase modernization effort for the C-5. The AMP modifications replace the earlier analog avionics in the Galaxy with a commercially available, digital avionics suite along with an integrated architecture that allows for upgrades. The entire system is designed to increase safety, ease crew workload, and enhance situational awareness, according to Lockheed Martin. 

The second phase of C-5 modernization is the Reliability Enhancement and Re-engining Program. The RERP modifications consist of more than 70 improvements and upgrades to the C-5 airframe and systems, and including modern F138-GE-100 turbofan engines. After a Galaxy has been through both AMP and RERP, it is redesignated as the C-5M Super Galaxy. 

Current Air Force plans call for Lockheed Martin to deliver 52 C-5Ms to the Air Force.
The C-5 is the largest airlifter in the U.S. inventory. The first operational Galaxy was delivered to the Air Force in June l970 and flew its first combat mission in July of that year.