Patrick Sullivan
The C-5M Super Galaxy, one of the largest and most capable aircraft in the U.S. Air Force inventory, is a vital component of the nation's strategic airlift capabilities. Supporting rapid and large-scale cargo transport, the C-5 plays a critical role in maintaining the Air Force's operational readiness.
The recent 'Drive to 55' campaign, spearheaded by the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, aims to address a longstanding challenge: raising the C-5's mission-capable rate to 55% and beyond, ensuring this key asset is always ready when needed.
To achieve this, the ‘Drive to 55’ team developed six lines of effort to attack different issues reducing C-5 availability: recover the supply chain; recover the programmed depot maintenance operations; drive down C-5 non-mission capable for maintenance times; data integrity; evaluate operations; and attack obsolescence and drive reliability.
One of the biggest challenges faced by the C-5 fleet has been prolonged maintenance periods; at one point, aircraft were stuck in the depot for up to 900 days.
"At our worst, we had 12 airplanes on station, 23% of the fleet sitting right here at Robins, torn apart in some state or another,” described John Kieweg, 559th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron director. “We had to do something to get better."
Since the start of the campaign, process adjustments and a shared commitment to quality have allowed the Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex to reduce depot flow days to just 391—a significant milestone.
Kiewig attributed these improvements to better internal processes and tighter integration with other mission partners.
“It was more than just the 559th (AMXG),” said Keiweg. “It’s when all the mission partners came into play that we started getting better.”
Another area that has seen significant improvement is in the supply chain for parts.
For a fleet like the C-5, where parts demand is sporadic and the fleet is relatively small, traditional supply methods were leading to grounded aircraft and delayed maintenance.
“With a fleet of 52 aircraft, some of the demands that generate can come once every four years, once every eight years, based on where that part is and how it's used on the aircraft,” explained Jay Harrington, the 448th Supply Chain Management Wing’s lead for the campaign.
Furthermore, the supply chain stretches across the United States, and keeping this network aligned with the needs of the maintenance teams has required significant effort.
"We realized that we had shortcomings in that we weren't synchronized in delivering a set of landing gear when (Kiewig) needed it the most," said Harrington. “So we’re synchronizing the supply side to ensure we've got the funds in place, we've got the capacity at our repair facilities, and that are repair facilities are locked into his schedule.”
Synchronizing these schedules and ensuring that suppliers could meet accelerated demands was no easy feat, and the DLA has invested $10 million to bolster the supply chain.
Additionally, the increase in communication has strengthened the interpersonal network and collaboration across the C-5 enterprise.
"The conversation now centers on 'What are we doing to help John's line?' Our customers are no longer a number,” said Harrington “We have connective tissue, to the point where when something falls off the plate, we understand the impact it has to the other people upstream and downstream.”
This deeper level of collaboration is at the core of the campaign and has driven many of the successes so far.
“We couldn't have done it without everybody working together,” said Evelyn Ryberg, the ‘Drive to 55’ lead and AFLCMC’s C-5 product support manager. “It's cross functional and cross organizational. We have our Air Force Sustainment Center, our Defense Logistics Agency partners. Really everybody working with us.”
While process improvement is a key pillar of the ‘Drive to 55’ campaign, the team is also driving innovation and adopting new technologies—embracing the use of artificial intelligence and additive manufacturing, exploring new methods to create and acquire parts more efficiently.
“We really focused on our mission and focused on the warfighter,” said Ryberg. “Putting all other things aside and figuring out how to get to yes.”
As the Air Force faces an increasingly complex global landscape, initiatives like the 'Drive to 55' campaign will ensure that critical assets like the C-5 remain ready to meet the demands of the force.
A maintainer works on a C-5M Super Galaxy aircraft at the Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, Oct. 21, 2024. Improved depot maintenance processes have been one of the most effective improvements of the C-5 Drive to 55 campaign to increase aircraft availability rates. (U.S. Air Force photo by Joseph Mather) 
Maintainers work on a C-5M Super Galaxy aircraft at the Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, Oct. 21, 2024. The C-5 Drive to 55 campaign has successfully reduced depot maintenance flow days from 900 to 391. (U.S. Air Force photo by Joseph Mather) 
Rhett Meeks, left, and Alan Nobles, both 559th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron electrician mechanics, troubleshoot an elevator manifold issue on a C-5M Super Galaxy Aircraft at the Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex at Robins Air Force Base, Georgia, Oct 20, 2024. The 559th AMXS was one of several units across the WR-ALC, the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, and the Defense Logistics Agency that came together for the C-5 Drive to 55 campaign. (U.S. Air Force photo by Joseph Mather)