The C-5, the largest of the airlift weapon systems, is managed and sustained by some 1,000 workers at Robins Air Force Base. If granted, the move would retain 27 C-5As along with 52 newer C-5s updated to the C-5M configuration and 222 C-17s. How the cuts might impact Robins is unclear.
In his prepared remarks before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Gen. Duncan McNabb, commander of U.S. Transportation Command, said the C-5A retirements would “improve aircraft availability by removing maintenance intensive jets from the fleet and allow us to focus our critical maintenance, aerial port and aircrew personnel and resources on a right-sized fleet.”
McNabb said the most recent Mobility Capabilities and Requirements Study 2016 completed in February justifies repeal of the congressionally mandated 316 aircraft minimum.
“The strategic airlift aircraft reduction will allow the Air Force to retire an additional 15 C-5As and provide a substantial savings by freeing up over $1.2 billion in taxpayer dollars across the five-year defense plan,” he told the committee.
The most recent study underscored a strategic airlift requirement of 32.7 million ton-miles per day, the commander said.
“And our analysis confirms (that the requirement) can be met with approximately 300 strategic airlift aircraft,” McNabb stressed.
Gen. Raymond Johns, Jr., Air Mobility Command commander, told the same committee that new C-17s and updated C-5Ms allow the fleet to meet the most stringent of requirements with fewer aircraft. He said the 316 aircraft requirement forces the Air Force to keep unneeded, less capable aircraft.
“Each of these unneeded aircraft comes with a cost to maintain in flyable status – a cost not programmed in the Air Force budget,” Johns underscored in his printed remarks.
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