Lockheed Martin completed delivery of the second production C-5M Super Galaxy at a ceremony here with a crew from Dover Air Force Base.

The fifth C-5M to be delivered to the Air Force, this aircraft will undergo internal paint restoration at Stewart Air National Guard Base, New York before travelling to its home base at Dover.

Maj Gen James T. Rubeor, commander of the 22nd Air Force, Air Force Reserve, said in a statement: “Though it’s still early, the operational accomplishments of the C-5M in such a short amount of time are extraordinary. Obviously, this is a tremendous investment for the Air Force. With this fifth Super Galaxy, we’re adding a new level of capability to the equation for determining how strategic airlift is used in both present and future contingency operations.”

Lockheed Martin is on contract to modernise a total of 52 C-5s, consisting of 49 B, two C and one A model aircraft through the reliability enhancement and re-engining programme (RERP). The programme incorporates more than 70 changes and upgrades, including newer, quieter General Electric engines making the C-5M more reliable and 10 per cent more fuel efficient than legacy C-5s. Three test aircraft were delivered and flown before the modernisation programme entered full production.

The Super Galaxy is America’s premier global direct delivery weapon system and the only strategic airlifter capable of linking the homeland directly to the warfighter in all theatres of combat without refuelling. The C-5M recently delivered 3,300 tonnes of helicopters to Afghanistan with a mission capable rate of nearly 90 per cent.