Tech & Auto
Inside The Mind-Bogglingly Massive C-5M Super Galaxy Plane
By CHRIS LITTLECHILD
The largest aircraft in the United States Air Force, the C-5M Super Galaxy, may seem like a simple transport aircraft, but it boasts some impressive capabilities.
It began life as the C5-A Galaxy. In January 1970, The Times-News wrote that the early model was “capable of carrying 22,000 pounds [...] a distance of more than 3,000 miles.”
Thanks to the Reliability Enhancement and Re-engineering Program and the C-5 Avionics Modernization Program, the C-5M Super Galaxy is still in service.
The Super Galaxy was modified and equipped with new features like the General Electric CF6-80C2-L1F engines and was given advanced autopilot.
A 2006 Lockheed Martin press release boasted that the modified Super Galaxy could fly in all weathers, reach further distances, and perform more cost-effectively.