Archives for May, 2006
Improved C-5 Promises More Faithful Years of Service
Saturday, May 20th, 2006
At a roll-out ceremony May 16 at Lockheed Martin’s plant in Marietta, Ga., the Air Force accepted delivery of the first C-5M Galaxy, the first of 111 that will undergo modernization at the facility, extending the fleet’s life by more than 25 years. A Lockheed Martin spokesman said the C-5M features the commercially proven CF6 General Electric engine. The engine delivers a 22 percent increase in thrust, a 30 percent shorter take-off roll and a 38 percent higher climb to initial altitude, allowing significantly more cargo to be carried over longer distances.
Boeing Phantom Works to Lead Research on X-48B Blended Wing Body Concept
Friday, May 5th, 2006
In cooperation with NASA and the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory, the Phantom Works organization of Boeing is taking another step toward exploring and validating the structural, aerodynamic and operational advantages of a futuristic aircraft design called the blended wing body, or BWB. Two high-fidelity, 21-foot wingspan prototypes of the BWB concept have been designed and produced for wind tunnel and flight testing this year. The Air Force has designated the vehicles as the “X-48B,” based on its interest in the design’s potential as a flexible, long-range, high-capacity military aircraft.
C-141 ‘Hanoi Taxi’ to retire at National Museum of the Air Force
Friday, May 5th, 2006
More than 120 former prisoners from the Vietnam War and their families will help the Air Force Reserve Command’s 445th Airlift Wing retire the Air Force’s last C-141 Starlifter, the “Hanoi Taxi,” during festivities May 5 to 6. The aircraft was the first one to arrive in Hanoi, Vietnam, in February 1973 to pick up POWs returning to the United States. The “Hanoi Taxi” was one of several aircraft involved in repatriating more than 500 American POWs held by the North Vietnamese.