Paul Lewis/MARIETTA
Lockheed Martin has dissolved its C-5 Galaxy re-engining partnership with General Electric. It is soliciting competing proposals from Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce as the US Air Force leans towards making the airframer sole source contractor for C-5 re-engining.
Draft requests for proposals (RFP) have been sent to the three engine suppliers for comment, to be followed by a final RFP in September. Lockheed Martin, in consultation with the USAF, will make a final powerplant selection "well before the end of the year", says C-5 programme director William Arndt.
Lockheed Martin's move away from its exclusive teaming agreement with GE, in favour of an open engine competition, comes ahead of an expected decision by the USAF to make the sole source selection. The service is due to decide formally in September on an acquisition strategy for the planned Reliability Enhancement Re-engining Programme (RERP).
According to a senior air force official, "the thought process is to go sole source. The guy who built the aircraft traditionally always does the re-engining. The risk factor with going elsewhere is quite high. There will be a competition at the engine level, as there is a wide variety available."
Boeing, along with Lockheed Martin, GE, P&W and R-R, is participating in a joint $200,000 study to define RERP requirements. The Seattle-based company has approached the three engine companies with a request for information. As a competitor, however, it would be handicapped by a lack of C-5 engineering data and intellectual expertise, suggests the official.
Lockheed Martin has specified a 50,000lb-thrust (222kN) engine, to replace the C-5's 41,100lb-thrust GE TF39-1C turbofans.
"That will give us a lot of life. The current engine on the wing is about 1,000h. We anticipate time on wing with new commercial engines will be 10-12,000h," says Arndt.
GE is proposing the CF6-80C2, and P&W the PW4168, while R-R's strategy is to offer the Trent 500 and older RB211-535E4D. The former represents a "best value alternative" over the rest of the C-5's 40-year lifespan and the latter "a cost performance option". While less powerful, it is lighter and offers a 12% increase in thrust over the TF39, says R-R military programme manger Scott Saunders.
Lockheed Martin's planning, subject to a contract being awarded next July, calls for the first of two re-engined test aircraft to be flown in October 2003, with initial deliveries 12 months later. The USAF's 126 C-5A/Bs would be modified at a rate of 12-18 a year.
Source: Flight International
