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Lockheed C-5 Galaxy facts for kids

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C-5 Galaxy
Top view of four-engine jet transport in-flight above mountain range.
A United States Air Force C-5 in-flight
Role Strategic airlifter
National origin United States
Manufacturer Lockheed
First flight 30 June 1968
Introduction June 1970
Status Operational
Active: 36
Reserve: 37
ANG: 21
Primary user United States Air Force
Produced C-5A: 1968–1973
C-5B: 1985–1989
C-5M upgrades: 2006–present
Number built 131 (C-5A: 81, C-5B: 50)
Unit cost C-5B: US$168 million (1987)

The C-5 Galaxy is a giant military cargo aircraft used by the United States Air Force. It was built by Lockheed, a famous aerospace company. This huge plane first took flight in 1968 and began service in 1970. It is one of the largest transport planes ever made.

The C-5 Galaxy is used to carry very heavy and large military gear. This includes tanks, helicopters, and other big equipment. It can fly these items across the world to different military bases or battlefields. Its massive size allows it to transport things other planes cannot.

About the C-5 Galaxy

The C-5 Galaxy is truly enormous. It is about 247 feet (75 meters) long, which is longer than two basketball courts. It stands 65 feet (19 meters) tall, as high as a six-story building. Its wings stretch 222 feet (67 meters) wide, almost the length of a football field. When fully loaded, it can weigh up to 840,000 pounds (378,000 kilograms). That's like weighing 100 large elephants!

What the C-5 Can Carry

The C-5 Galaxy is designed to carry almost anything the military needs. It can hold two M1 Abrams tanks or six Apache helicopters. It can also carry many trucks, armored vehicles, or even a fully assembled C-130 Hercules transport plane. The plane has a special nose that lifts up, and a ramp at the back. This makes it easy to load and unload very large items.

How the C-5 Flies So Far

The C-5 Galaxy has four powerful jet engines. These engines help it lift off with its heavy loads and fly long distances. It can even be refueled in the air by other planes. This means it can fly for many hours without landing. This ability is very important for moving military supplies quickly around the globe.

Upgrades to the C-5 Galaxy

Over the years, the C-5 Galaxy has received many upgrades. These improvements help the plane fly better and last longer. The upgrades include new engines and modern navigation systems. These updated planes are called C-5M Super Galaxy. They are more reliable and can carry even heavier loads.

Images for kids

  • C-5 Galaxy

    The fourth C-5A Galaxy 66-8306 in the 1980s European One color scheme

  • C-5 Galaxy - 081217-F-5350S-101

    A Galaxy undergoing the AMP and RERP upgrades, to become a C-5M

  • Lockheed C-5 Galaxy loading 135

    Lockheed C-5 Galaxy loading on a wet ramp in Bush Field, Georgia

  • Excavators in a C5

    JCB HMEE backhoe loader stowed inside a C-5. The C-5 loadmasters ensure cargo is secured and balanced before takeoff.

  • M1 Abrams loaded on a C-5 Galaxy

    Loading an M1A1 Abrams tank onto a C-5 Galaxy

  • USAF MMIII C5 airdrop(Oct 1974)

    C-5A Minuteman Air Mobile ICBM Feasibility Demonstration – 24 October 1974

  • Galaxy Antarctica

    Personnel unload cargo from a C-5 Galaxy at Pegasus Field, an ice runway near McMurdo Station, Antarctica, in 1989

  • C-5 Galaxy - 060505-F-0000J-002

    A C-5 taking off from Robins AFB

  • C-5A Cockpit

    Instrument panel of a C-5A

  • C-5M Cockpit

    New C-5 cockpit avionics, installed under the Avionics Modernization Program

  • C5 galaxy

    People in line to enter the 445th Airlift Wing's first C-5A Galaxy in 2005

  • Lockheed C-5B Galaxy (L-500), USA - Air Force AN0568811

    C-5B Galaxy at Rhein-Main AB

  • C-5B Arrival At CYQB

    A C-5 landing a Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport (CYQB)

  • KC-46 Refuels C-5M 4-2019

    A Boeing KC-46 Pegasus refuels a C-5M Galaxy from Travis AFB over California, Apr. 2019

  • DSRV 2 Avalon 1

    Loading a Mystic-class deep-submergence rescue vehicle onto a C-5 Galaxy

  • CH-53E loaded on C-5A Davis-Monthan 2005

    Loading a Super Stallion on a C-5A

  • Shemya700446b

    C-5A after crash landing at Shemya AFB, Alaska, July 1983

  • C-5 Galaxy crash 2006-04-03 F-0859C-018

    Emergency responders at the scene of a C-5B crash at Dover AFB, Delaware, April 2006

  • Airman from the 436th Aerial Port Squadron and 9th Airlift Squadronload a C-5 Galaxy flight deck on a C-5 for transport to Robins AFB

    The flight deck from the C-5B crash at Dover AFB in April 2006 being loaded into another C-5

  • Lockheed C5 Galaxy

    Drawing lines

  • C5 Galaxy nose

    A detail of the C-5's nose assembly raised for loading and unloading.

  • USAF C-5 Galaxy Engine

    A General Electric TF39 turbofan engine

  • A CH-47F Chinook helicopter is unloaded from a C-5M Super Galaxy

    Unloading one of two Chinook helicopters from a C-5M Super Galaxy

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Lockheed C-5 Galaxy para niños

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