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 cargo compartment

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.

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.

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 perspective, it is like getting filled up by 6.5 railroads of tanker cars.

Limited C-5 Galaxies serving:-

Although the aircraft has been serving for the USAF since 1968, there are a limited number of Lockheed C-5 Galaxies that are currently serving in the Air Force.

The Lockheed C-5 Galaxy is mainly used by the USAF as a transport aircraft and with its humongous size, it has transported everything from tanks to ICBMs (Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles).

Back in 1974, the USAF airlifted n ICBM and dropped it in the Pacific Ocean. The ICBM fell into the ocean in a free fall and then the rockets kicked in to ascend to altitude. The test was conducted to see if it was possible to fire an ICBM out of the back of an aircraft. The test was positive but it never got into practice because of the many dangers involved with it.

The weight of the aircraft without its engines is calculated to be about well above 80000 lbs. with engines, this weight is well over 85000 lbs. The 80000 lbs mean that a full-fledged C-130 Hercules can be fitted inside the cargo area of the Lockheed C-5 Galaxy.

Served In conflicts:-

The aircraft which has been in service for nearly half a century has served the role of an airlifter for the US military during all of their following major conflicts across the globe.