Lockheed Martin announced on Monday that it has received the next funding increment to continue modernizing a portion of the C-5 transport fleet with new engines and reliability improvements. The $344.3 million infusion covers work on 15 aircraft during the low-rate production phase of the C-5 reliability enhancement and re-engining program, or RERP. The company said this news comes upon the heels of the Pentagon acquisition executive’s approval of the funding’s release. RERP is the Air Force’s second major C-5 upgrade initiative. While all 111 C-5s in the fleet are getting a state-of-the-art glass cockpit under a separate project, only 52 C-5s (almost exclusively B-models) will receive the RERP improvements. The C-5s with both sets of new gear are designated C-5Ms. Already, the Air Force has three C-5Ms, all used as test aircraft. The next C-5M is expected to arrive in the fleet come September, said Lockheed.
The Air Force’s Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile is behind schedule and may significantly overrun its expected cost, which could partially explain why the service is reviving the hypersonic AGM-183 Air-Launched Rapid-Response Weapon.