439th Airlift Wing opens $43 million C-5M inspection hangar

The 439th Airlift Wing has unveiled a new $43 million regional isochronal inspection hangar at Westover Air Reserve Base in Massachusetts. The 94,000-square-foot facility is designed to expand the Air Force’s capacity to maintain the C-5M Super Galaxy fleet.

Replacing a structure that was over 70 years old, the modern hangar provides a purpose-built environment for comprehensive, time-based aircraft inspections. During these inspections, maintainers disassemble and examine major portions of the aircraft to check for damage and complete required maintenance checks, a process that typically lasts two to three weeks.

As one of only two Air Force installations capable of performing these specific regional inspections, the Patriot Wing is expected to complete approximately 17 to 19 inspections annually once operations are fully established. While the facility is not intended to shorten the inspection duration, officials stated it will increase capacity and improve the precision and quality of the maintenance work.