USAF considers new role for C-5M
News
THE USAF IS considering modifications for its C-5M fleet that would allow the Super Galaxy to support large-scale aeromedical evacuation missions.
The role is currently carried out by C-130s, C-17s, and KC-135s. The Globemaster III is the largest aircraft currently tasked with the mission and can carry up to 60 stretcher patients. The C-5 plan would nearly double the service’s medevac capacity for a single aircraft. As the largest airlifter in the USAF’s fleet, the C-5M’s cargo compartment could provide the capability to evacuate more than 100 patients.
Air Mobility Command (AMC) began evaluating the Galaxy in this role in December 2018 when it conducted a flight at Travis AFB, California. A second test was held at Scott AFB, Illinois, in March 2019. The most recent evaluation took place during AMC’s multinational ‘Mobility Guardian’ exercise at Fairchild AFB, Washington, in September.