The Lockheed C-5 Galaxy is a large-sized military transport aircraft that was originally designed and manufactured by Lockheed and now it is currently being maintained and upgraded by its successor company Lockheed Martin. It is one of the largest military aircraft in service at the moment. It provides transportation for troops, cargo and vehicles on long distances over landmasses with all weather day/night operational abilities. The C-5 Galaxy has a wide fuselage which allows passengers to board through side doors on either side of the main deck or on a ramp at the tail of the aircraft. The C-5 Galaxy has a long high wingspan, this makes it to have powerful lift abilities at slow speeds and also allows for short takeoffs and landings. It also provides a large amount of heat from its engines which is used to help melt ice and snow on airports, this helps in moving aircraft faster and safer. The original design concept of the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy is to be able to carry a full size spare parts for itself with its own assembly line in order for it to complete its maintenance without requiring any outside help when needed, so this makes it possible for the aircraft’s turnaround time when it is on the ground and also require much less manpower. The Lockheed C 5 Galaxy has a crew of six members, this includes two pilots, one flight engineer and three loadmasters which are responsible for monitoring the aircraft’s weight and balance to make sure that it operates within its maximum takeoff weight capacity. The cargo compartment is 111 feet long by 18 feet wide by 13 feet high. It holds a variety of cargo more than 70,900 lbs. The C-5 Galaxy has been the largest operational aircraft in the world from 1969 to 2005 until it was surpassed by Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental which first flew on 30 April 2010 and went into service on 26 October 2011. The Lockheed Aircraft Company developed a new concept in mid-size airlift during the late 1960s after its C-141 Starlifter had become mired with reliability issues and a growing need for aircraft with greater capacity. The proposed aircraft, initially called the “CX-4”, was a full-scale strategic transport design incorporating an aft loading ramp as well as an elevated airstair that could double as a cargo conveyor. During the Vietnam War, American forces in Southeast Asia were facing severe airlift problems from C-130 Hercules operations from unprepared surfaces at airfields with heavy loads and adverse weather conditions. The United States Air Force (USAF) required a new transport aircraft to operate from short and unprepared airstrips, carrying more than twice the load of a C-130 and able to operate from the same runways. United States Air Force Air mobility command The aircraft currently served under the United States Air Force as an aircraft with heavy intercontinental-range strategic airlift ability. The aircraft is more than capable of lifting any oversized and outsized loads as well as for the air-certifiable cargo. The Lockheed C 5 Galaxy has many striking resemblances to its predecessor aircraft Lockheed C-141 Starlifter and the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III. The Lockheed C 5 Galaxy is amongst the short list of large-sized aircraft in the world. The development of Lockheed C 5 Galaxy was riddled with many complications with the first one being the financial woes for its cost overrun. Shortly after the first fleet of this aircraft was created, my of the aircraft’s wings were found to have cracks in them which further delayed the time it entered in service. Nowadays the most upgraded version of the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy is being used under the name C-5M Super Galaxy which with its upgrades like new engines and modernized avionics is designed to serve the USAF until 2040. The Lockheed C 5 Galaxy has been in use of USAF since 1969 and during that time, the aircraft served for the US military as a cargo lifter in the following conflicts around the globe. Vietnam Iraq Yugoslavia Afghanistan Gulf War Yom Kippur War The Lockheed C-5 Galaxy has also been used for the distribution of the humanitarian aids during disasters and relief missions as well as has also supported the US Space Shuttle program. For our readers today, we have gathered a bunch of amazing facts about the Lockheed C 5 Galaxy which are as follows. Dimensions:- The aircraft with its following dimensions is the largest transport aircraft currently serving under United States Air Force. Width; 222 feet Length 300 feet Height; 65 feet The cargo hull of the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy is 121 feet long with 19 feet width. With these dimensions, the Lockheed C 5 Galaxy is like a warehouse that can carry a ready to combat military unit or is capable to supply the necessary amount of supplies wherever in the world needed. Nickname:- The nickname that has been given to the Lockheed C 5 Galaxy is FRED which stands for “F**king Ridiculous Economic Disaster”. Do you know why this name has been given to it? The reason is that whenever it will crash it would cause a FRED. Serving for more than a century:- The Lockheed C 5 Galaxy first entered in the USAF’s service back in 1968 and since then it has been serving in all kinds of support and cargo missions. It has nearly been half a century since the aircraft entered in service. Now there is another upgraded version named as C-5 Super Galaxy that is equipped with better engines and avionics that is estimated to serve the USAF until 2040. Amazing military fact:- It might be a real surprise for you guys. When the Wright Brothers made their very first historic flight of the world, the distance their aircraft covered was even shorter than the cargo floor of the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy. Fuel tank capacity:- The Lockheed C-5 Galaxy fuel tank has the capacity to store in 49 thousand gallons of fuel at a time. To put this in … Continue reading Amazing facts about Lockheed C-5 Galaxy