1970 C-5 upgraded

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TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif., May 11 (UPI) -- Lockheed Martin reports it has completed avionics upgrades to the last of 38 U.S. Air Force "legacy" C-5 Galaxy aircraft.

The modernization of the aircraft, which had entered service in 1970, was performed under the Air Force's Avionics Modernization Program and included replacing analog systems with digital systems, installing a new autopilot, a new communications suite, flat-panel displays and enhanced navigation and safety system systems.

Work on the aircraft by a Lockheed Martin team took place at Travis Air Force Base in California and involved a massive rewiring of the C-5.

Lockheed said there were three aircraft being modernized at any one time during the project, which is only the first of two phases to update the C-5, which has a payload capacity of about 270,000 pounds and a flying range of as much as 2,700-plus miles with a high payload weight.

The next stage of the modernization effort is the Reliability Enhancement and Re-engining Program. In this phase, the C-5 airframe and systems will receive more than 70 enhancements.