Lockheed C-5 Galaxy

The C-5 Galaxy is one of the largest military aircraft in the world, built by Lockheed-Georgia to provide the U.S. Air Force with outsize and oversize intercontinental airlift. Its full-width nose and aft cargo doors, kneeling landing gear and 28-wheel high-flotation undercarriage allow simultaneous front and rear loading of bulky equipment, including tanks, helicopters and mobile bridges. The first operational Galaxy was delivered to Charleston Air Force Base in June 1970.

Of similar high-tail, four-turbofan configuration to the smaller C-141, the C-5 dwarfs it, carrying loads up to roughly 270,000 pounds. Fifty improved C-5B models joined the original C-5A fleet by 1989, and later avionics and re-engining programs (producing the C-5M) extended the type's service life well into the 21st century. The Galaxy can carry nearly all of the Army's combat equipment across the globe, refuelable in flight for unlimited range.