Byrd: C-5s will bring 185 new jobs

The W. Va. Air National Guard base will see its budget increase by about $16 million a year.

August 08, 2002

MARTINSBURG, W.Va. - The arrival of 10 C-5 cargo airplanes at the Air National Guard base in Martinsburg means 185 military jobs will be added and the base's operating budget will increase by about $16 million a year, according to new figures released Wednesday.

When it was announced in April that the C-5s would come here, officials anticipated adding 170 new military employees.

In late July, U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd met with U.S. Air Force Secretary James Roche, who gave Byrd updated job and economic figures associated with the conversion from C-130 aircraft to C-5s at the 167th Airlift Wing in Martinsburg, according to a press release issued Wednesday by Byrd's office.

Full-time jobs at the base will increase from 322 to at least 507, Byrd, D-W.Va., said. The total number of military personnel will increase from 1,168 to 1,340.

The base's annual operating budget is expected to increase from $34 million to approximately $50 million.

The 10 C-5s will be phased in at the base, with the first set to arrive in the year 2007, according to Byrd. In the meantime, improvements will be needed at the base, including the construction of more hangars for the immense cargo planes.

The 167th currently maintains a fleet of 12 C-130 transport planes.

"The men and women of the 167th Airlift Wing have demonstrated, time and time again, their commitment to the well-being of their nation," Byrd is quoted in the release as saying.

Meanwhile, the Senate has cleared legislation that includes $15.2 million that Byrd added for site and utilities infrastructure improvements at the Air Guard base. The Senate's Fiscal Year 2003 Military Construction Appropriations bill is in conference with the House of Representatives to hammer out the differences between the two chambers' versions of the legislation.

Each C-5 is 247 feet long and 65 feet tall, and can carry more than 135 tons of cargo. They can fly at 518 mph, and require a crew of seven, according to a Web site devoted to the planes.

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