C-5 Galaxy

Features

Features of the C-5 include:

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• Able to take off fully loaded within 8,300 feet (2,530 m) and land within 4,900 feet (1,493 m).
• High flotation landing gear with 28 wheels sharing the weight.
• Nose and aft doors that open the full width and height of the cargo compartment to permit faster and easier loading.
• A "kneeling" landing gear system that permits lowering of the parked aircraft so the cargo floor is at truck-bed height to facilitate vehicle loading and unloading.
• Full width drive-on ramps at each end for loading double rows of vehicles.
• A system that records and analyzes information and detects malfunctions in more than 800 test points.

The C-5 is similar in appearance to its smaller sister transport, the C-141 Starlifter, although the C-5 is much larger. Both aircraft have the distinctive high T-tail, 25-degree wing sweep, and four turbofan engines mounted on pylons beneath the wings.

Related Topics:
C-141 Starlifter - T-tail - Turbofan - Pylon

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The Galaxy carries nearly all of the Army's combat equipment, including such bulky items as its 74-ton mobile scissors bridge, from the United States to any theater of combat on the globe.

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The C-5 has four TF39 turbofan engines, rated at 43,000 lbf (191 kN) thrust each. They weigh 7,900 pounds (3,555 kg) each and have an air intake diameter of more than 8.5 feet (2.6 m). Each engine pod is nearly 27 feet (8.2 m) long.

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The Galaxy has 12 internal wing tanks with a total capacity of 51,150 US gallons (194,370 L) of fuel -- enough to fill 6 1/2 regular size US railroad tank cars. A full fuel load weighs 332,500 pounds (150,820 kg). A C-5 with a cargo load of 270,000 pounds (122,000 kg) can fly 2,150 nautical miles (4,000 km), offload, and fly to a second base 500 nautical miles (900 km) away from the original destination -- all without aerial refueling. With aerial refueling, the aircraft's range is limited only by crew endurance.

Related Topics:
Nautical mile - Aerial refueling

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