Air Mobility Command’s interim boss said the Air Force is behind on modernizing its airlift fleet, to include selecting a Next-Generation Airlifter to replace the service’s fleet of C-5 and C-17 workhorses—a project that faces stiff competition for resources in the service’s modernization portfolio.
NGAL
A newly-released Air Force plan to replace the C-5 and C-17 airlifters with a single airplane type called the Next-Generation Air Lifter (NGAL) will keep those fleets in service another 20 and 50 years, respectively. The plan will likely require a service life extension for ...
The head of Air Mobility Command envisions just one type of aircraft will handle the Air Force’s strategic airlift needs when the venerable C-17 and C-5 transport jets are replaced, though the exact nature of that aircraft is yet to be determined.
The head of the U.S. Transportation doesn’t want to wait to start planning on a new airlifter to replace both the C-5 and C-17 fleets, which serve as the command's "workhorses."
The Air Force may need to extend the life of the KC-135 Stratotanker again if the pace of aerial tanker modernization remains static, Gen. John A. Lamontagne said.
The Air Force is collecting data from flight tests of a subscale version of its Blended-Wing Body demonstrator, and using that data to revise the full-scale aircraft’s control software and final configuration—the first flight of which remains on track for 2027. Full-scale test parts, including ...
The Air Force cannot afford its three marquee air combat and mobility programs simultaneously, but should be given the resources to do so, Secretary Frank Kendall said.
A recent $10 billion fleetwide upgrade to the Air Force's largest aircraft, the C-5M Galaxy, has not resulted in a higher mission capable rate—the huge airlifter was at 46 percent in 2023, down from 52 percent in 2022. Officials say the struggles are mostly due ...