STEPHEN TRIMBLE / WASHINGTON DC &MARIETTA
Airframes may not survive two detailed examinations of their operational health
Over a third of the US Air Force's fleet of 81 Lockheed C-5A/Bstrategic transport aircraft face the prospect of early retirement under two major reviews by the service.
Lockheed Martin on 12 December launched flight tests of Block 2.1 software under the C-5 avionics modernisation programme (AMP) cockpit upgrade, around six months behind schedule. The C-5B flight was marred by technical glitches, but an air force official says Lockheed Martin is aware of the fixes needed.
The USAF's Fleet Viability Board will report in March on the operational health of the 35-year-old C-5A airframes. Air force secretary Jim Roche has said that the C-5A is unlikely to pass the viability board's evaluation.
USAF Air Mobility Command (AMC) has also launched a broader, three-year review of the C-5A fleet that includes from 2005 a complete tear-down inspection of one previously retired aircraft. The Warner-Robins Air Logistics Center, which maintains the fleet, must report any interim findings to the AMC by February to help guide the budget process.
That initial report is focused on uncovering any maintenance "surprises" in two areas of the aircraft that are often overlooked during depot visits - the contour box beam that supports the C-5's cockpit, and the wing. Any unexpected maintenance issues discovered during the inspection could have lasting consequences for the C-5A fleet, says Al Fatkin, deputy chief of the Strategic Airlift Directorate at Warner-Robins.
The C-5A's wings have not been thoroughly inspected since the fleet was re-winged in the mid-1980s, he says.
The fleet reviews are being launched as the USAF confronts looming budget decisions on its airlift fleet. One option is to expand the C-5 upgrade programme, which includes the AMP's glass cockpit, plus new engines and structural improvements, from the C-5B models to the C-5A fleet.
Another proposal being considered by the USAF is to raise its Boeing C-17 inventory from a planned total of 180 aircraft to 222, although it has recently floated a proposal for an eventual fleet of 305 aircraft. "We're trying to get airlift capability back to the warfighter," says Fatkin. "There are big decisions to make in the short term about the dollars."
Source: Flight International
