U.S. Air Force awards Lockheed $131.6M for C-5 sustainment

Jan. 14 (UPI) -- The U.S. Air Force has awarded Lockheed Martin Aeronautics a $131.6 million contract for sustainment engineering services for the military branch's largest jet, the C-5, the Pentagon announced.

The work, which is expected to be completed by Jan. 25, will be performed at its headquarters in Marietta, Ga., as well as in Fort Worth, Texas and Palmdale, Calif., the military announced Friday.

This contract is the result of a sole-source acquisition.

Obligated are funds from the fiscal 2019 transportation working capital funds; and operations and maintenance funds in the amount of $23,543,771.

Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Robins Air Force Base, Ga., is the contracting activity.

The C-5, which is nearing 50 years old, is used to transport cargo. The C-5 Galaxy can carry twice as much load as any other aircraft, including six Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles or up to five helicopters

The Air Force now owns 52 Super Galaxy aircraft, which are only assigned to four units worldwide.

Its wingspan is 222.8 feet and its height is 65.8 feet, according to Lockheed's website.

In 2015 at Travis Air Force Base in California, a crew set 45 aeronautical records on a single flight. It included records for altitude with payload of approximately 37,300 feet as well as marks for time to climb, including 4 minutes 36 seconds to attain 9,843 feet altitude; and with payloads up to 264,554 pounds.