A major aircraft modernization by the U.S. Air Force wrapped up Thursday at an air base in western Massachusetts.
A C-5M Super Galaxy landed at Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee -- one of 52 of the largest planes built in this country to undergo a major upgrade at a cost of $720 million per aircraft.
As base spokesman Senior Master Sgt. Andrew Biscoe observed when the first of the new models arrived in June 2017, the improvements include newer and quieter engines.
"They are remarkably quieter airplanes and much more fuel-efficient," said Biscoe.
The project to upgrade the Air Force’s fleet of giant cargo planes began in 2015.
Budget cuts reduced from 16 to 8 the number of aircraft assigned to Westover.
Because the new engines are more fuel-efficient, the planes can carry larger, heavier loads.