C-5 A Models Finally On the Way Out?

Gen. Arthur Lichte, commander of Air Mobility Command, indicated that the additional C-17s coming into the fleet as a result of Congressional add-ons to the 2010 defense budget will affect the current airlift mix—and is pushing the force closer to retiring older, less reliable C-5As. Lichte emphasized that his original mobility requirement was a fleet of 205 C-17s and 111 C-5s for global airlift needs, but as the number of C-17s keeps creeping up it creates fleet management issues. “Anything essentially that is over the 205 C-17s, we start knocking off some of the older, poorest performing C-5s,” Lichte said. At a minimum, he said, AMC wants to keep 52 C-5Bs that have gone through the Avionics Modernization Program and are due to receive new engines and structural upgrades under the Reliability Enhancement and Re-Engining Program. Continue