Lt. Gen. Thomas Owen, USAF’s program executive officer for aircraft, said he’s pleased with the C-5M Super Galaxy transport’s performance so far and said it’s meeting promised capability and reliability goals. He made these comments to reporters last week at Lockheed Martin’s plant in Marietta, Ga., at the delivery of the fourth C-5M. The three developmental models have been flying missions into Iraq and Afghanistan. Key elements of the C-5M configuration are the new engines that Lockheed Martin is fitting to C-5B and C-5C models under the Reliability Enhancement and Re-engining Program. Asked how the RERP project went from a Nunn-McCurdy breach to meeting cost and schedule goals, Owen cited “open, honest dialog” with the company and jointly tackling issues. “Right now, the team is performing and I’ve got every confidence they’ll continue to do so,” he said.
The Air Force has tapped sites in Oregon to build its first two new Over-the-Horizon Radars, capable of detecting inbound missile threats from up to 4,000 nautical miles away. The service is hoping to start construction by the end of 2028.