{"id":91703,"date":"2017-12-02T16:54:00","date_gmt":"2017-12-02T16:54:00","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2023-01-06T20:51:39","modified_gmt":"2023-01-06T20:51:39","slug":"the-airlift-conundrum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cvnextjob.com\/index.php\/2017\/12\/02\/the-airlift-conundrum\/","title":{"rendered":"The Airlift Conundrum"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>

<\/h3>\n
<\/div>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The C-5 Galaxy (FAS photo). <\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

According to Air Force Times<\/a><\/em>, Defense Secretary Robert Gates will soon announce that cost overruns on the C-5 Galaxy transport modernization program have now reached 15% of the contract’s value, triggering a reporting and review process that raise long-term doubts about the aircraft’s operational future. <\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Two retired senior Air Force leaders, speaking with the Times<\/em> on the condition of anonymity, confirm that the modernization has “tripped” cost overrun limits set in the Nunn-McCurdy Provision. Under that regulation, the Pentagon must notify Congress when cost increases on major acquisition programs reach 15%, or schedule delays hit six months. If cost overruns hit 25%, the military is required to justify continuing the program, based on its importance to national security and other criteria.<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Why does this matter? The C-5, along with the newer C-17, forms the backbone of our strategic airlift fleet, ferrying equipment and supplies to U.S. forces around the globe. There are a total of 111 Galaxies in the Air Force inventory (61 of the original A models and 50 C-5Bs, built during the Reagan Administration); the service hopes to upgrade all aircraft to the C-5M standard under the modernization program, which includes new landing gear, safety equipment, communications systems, and–most importantly–new engines. <\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

With its existing engines, the C-5 is anything but fuel efficient, adding to operating costs that are (reportedly) the highest of any military aircraft. By replacing existing power plants with General Electric CF6-80C2 engines, the C-5M will have significantly greater thrust (22,000 lbs per engine), resulting in shorter take-off rolls, improved climb performance, and longer intervals between in-flight refueling. <\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

But the cost of attaining those capabilities is in dispute. Lockheed claims it can modernize the C-5 fleet at an average cost of $83 million per aircraft, well below Nunn-McCurdy thresholds. However, the Air Force estimates that each modernized C-5 will now run $120 million, meaning that cost overruns may reach 40%, casting a shadow over the future of the upgrade program–and the C-5. <\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

At the Lockheed price, the service can get a modernized C-5 for less than half the price of a new C-17. But the Air Force estimate ($140 million) is roughly two-thirds the cost of a C-17. For a service scrambling to recapitalize its aircraft fleet–in a tough budget environment–it becomes difficult to justify a modernization program that offers only a 33% savings over a newer, more capable transport. <\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Without the upgrade, the Air Force will be stuck with C-5s that are expensive to operate and maintain, as jet fuel prices continue to climb. Retiring the Galaxy and buying more C-17s would be an optimal solution, but at more than $200 million a copy, it will be difficult to purchase more of the new transports and still fund Air Force acquisitions of other weapons systems, including the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). <\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the demand for strategic airlift has never been greater–and there’s already a shortfall between what we “have” and what the armed forces need to meet global commitments. And that leaves the Air Force with a real conundrum; the service needs modernized C-5s to sustain present capabilities, but the program may be too expensive to sustain. And without the upgrades, current C-5s may be too costly to operate and maintain, hastening their departure from active service. That, in turn, would put more pressure on a smaller number of C-17s and C-5s left to shoulder to load. The purchase of more C-17s would relieve some of that strain, but that would take years–and money the Air Force currently doesn’t have. <\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The C-5 Galaxy (FAS photo). According to Air Force Times, Defense Secretary Robert Gates will soon announce that cost overruns on the C-5 Galaxy transport modernization program have now reached 15% of the contract’s value, triggering a reporting and review process that raise long-term doubts about the aircraft’s operational future. Two retired senior Air Force […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":91704,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-91703","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t