Galaxy opens for cargo companies
05 / 10 / 2010
THE US Air Force and manufacturer Lockheed Martin have opened discussions with a number of cargo airlines concerning the possible placement of retiring military C-5A Galaxies into the US Civil Reserve Air Fleet, said Mark Johnston, company director of government air mobility programs.
The aircraft would normally be mothballed at the government’s AMARC facility at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in New Mexico. “We just think there’s a better plan for them than to put them in AMARC,” said Johnston.
Johnston added that the USAF plans to retire 22 C-5As have plenty of life left and that there was “nothing wrong with them”.
Johnston believes that there is great potential, considering the lack of options and capacity in the large ramp-loading freighter sector. He added that interested companies could upgrade the aircraft’s engines and avionics to provide greater reliability and performance as well as driving down operational costs.