USACE, Air Force cut ribbon on New $52 million C-5M maintenance hangar
CHICOPEE, Mass. - Representatives from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New England District, the U.S. Air Force, and the local community gathered to cut the ribbon on a new, modern inspection hangar designed to support the warfighter.
Capt. Carl Johnson, accompanied by Carl Niemitz, P.E., area engineer, and Fred Pike, P.E., ACO resident engineer, attended the Sept. 10 ceremony at Westover Air Reserve Base in Chicopee, Massachusetts. Niemitz represented the District and cut the ribbon with other officials. Louisville District project manager Sherre Brown and Pedro Constanzo of Burns & McDonnell, the Designer of Record, also attended. Following the ribbon cutting, attendees toured the new facility.
The new 105,000-square-foot, high-bay C-5 aircraft maintenance hangar will be used for major inspections and maintenance on the Air Force’s largest planes, the C-5M Super Galaxy fleet.
“The hangar will include an office area, rest rooms and a sheet metal shop,” said Carolyn Russell, PMP, project manager at the USACE Louisville District, who worked with the New England District on the project.
The government vehicle fuel station was relocated prior to construction, according to Russell. In addition, a 70-year-old hangar, Building 2426, which sat within the footprint of the new structure, was demolished.
The new facility will allow the Air Force to conduct isochronal, known as ISO inspections, inside the hangar, establishing a new mission for Westover and enabling crews to keep the C-5M fleet in top condition and ready to defend the nation at a moment's notice.
“These inspections keep our aircraft mission-ready,” said Senior Airman Theodore Davis, a crew chief with the 439th Maintenance Squadron. “We make sure what’s broken is fixed so the aircraft can go back out and accomplish whatever mission the Air Force calls for.”
During the ceremony, Col. Jordan Murphy, commander of the 439th Maintenance Group, credited the New England District and other partners for completing the new hangar.
“This is a world-class facility supporting the entire C-5M enterprise,” he said.
The $52 million project began in June 2021 and was completed this past April. Westover is one of only two bases capable of conducting these intricate inspections, which can take up to three weeks to complete.
About 200 members of the 439th Maintenance Group will work inside the new hangar to perform these mission-critical checkups.
“ISO inspections are ‘nose to tail and wing tip to wing tip exhaustive inspections of the entire aircraft and performed every 420 days,” said Russell.
In his remarks, Col. Christopher Holland, commander of the 439th Airlift Wing, addressed the maintenance squadron.
“This facility belongs to you,” he said. “Your work keeps America’s global reach ready, responsive and unmatched.”
With the completion of this state-of-the-art hangar, the partnership between the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Air Force has delivered a vital asset to national defense. By providing the modern infrastructure necessary for complex maintenance, the New England District has helped secure Westover Air Reserve Base’s role as a premier strategic airlift hub, ensuring the C-5M Super Galaxy fleet remains prepared to project American power across the globe for decades to come.
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