By Matthew Fritz, Director of Business Development at CymSTAR

While many Americans are wrapping up their summer plans, a dedicated team at CymSTAR, the trusted C-5 contractor, remains focused on the mission: advancing the C-5 Super Galaxy training system that powers the U.S. Air Force’s global reach. As the Air Force training system recompete moves forward, CymSTAR’s leadership in the C-5 training system ensures continuity, modernization and mission-ready aircrews when it matters most. The C-5 isn’t just an aircraft. It’s a national asset and a symbol of America’s global reach, enabling critical missions from humanitarian relief to rapid force deployment. For decades, this behemoth has carried the weight of America’s reach, moved outsized cargo and executed missions from disaster response to combat support. But behind every mission is a force multiplier few ever see: the training system that prepares the Airmen who fly, maintain, and support the C-5.

That’s where CymSTAR comes in. For years, we’ve served as the prime contractor for the C-5 Aircrew Training System (ATS), delivering not just capability, but confidence. The simulators we maintain, the software we refine, the instructors we support, and the readiness we enable all serve a single goal: ensuring that when the mission calls, C-5 Airmen answer with skill, speed, and certainty. At CymSTAR, we don’t take that responsibility lightly.

Proven Performance in the C-5 Super Galaxy Training System

This isn’t just rhetoric; our record speaks for itself. CymSTAR’s performance has been independently rated “Exceptional” by the government, time and again. As the Air Force training system recompete moves forward, CymSTAR stands out for its exceptional past performance. From concurrency modifications to seamlessly integrated Distributed Mission Operations (DMO), CymSTAR has consistently executed with excellence. We’ve modernized simulators to reflect real-world tactics. We’ve kept pace with aircraft modifications and operational needs. We’ve done it all without disruption, without excuses, and without compromising quality.

Our System Integration Laboratory (SIL) at CymHQ in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, is a prime example of what it means to invest in the mission. Co-developed with the U.S. Air Force, the SIL gives us a secure environment to test, validate, and implement concurrency upgrades before they ever touch a training device. It’s a national-level asset that is purpose-built, finely tuned, and central to the future of this program. Our continued leadership in the C-5 Super Galaxy training system ensures uninterrupted readiness and modernization. Moving or replicating it would slow modernization and hurt training readiness, especially when speed and precision matter most. As one Air Force stakeholder put it during a technical interchange: “This SIL isn’t just a lab. It’s an irreplaceable training enabler that’s streamlined countless concurrency upgrades with minimal operational impact.”

We’ve also crafted our role smartly: lean teams, agile processes, and technical depth that punches above our weight. As a HUBZone-certified small business, we don’t rely on volume to succeed. We rely on precision, expertise, and a culture of ownership. Everyone on the C-5 contractor team at CymSTAR knows what’s at stake. That’s why we deliver.

More Than a Contract: A Commitment to C-5 Aircrew Readiness and Training System Excellence

The C-5 is more than just a platform. It’s a symbol of strategic mobility and a critical enabler in the U.S. arsenal. The crews who operate and maintain it deserve the very best in training, and that’s exactly what we provide.

Supporting the C-5 is personal for many of us. At CymSTAR, many of us have walked in those boots. We’re veterans. We’re former C-5 pilots, maintainers, and engineers. This mission isn’t abstract for us. It’s personal. And it’s why our team culture centers on ownership, responsiveness, and doing the job right the first time.

The pride we bring to this work isn’t written in the statement of work, but it’s certainly there in every task we complete, every system we update, and every schedule we meet. Swapping out an experienced team for a new entrant isn’t just a reset; it’s a risk to timelines, readiness, and training quality that the mission can’t afford. We’ve been honored to serve alongside the U.S. Air Force in delivering world-class training, and we’re ready to keep doing so.

Trusted Performance from the C-5 Training System Prime Contractor, CymSTAR

In a defense market where some competitors promise more than they deliver - or cut corners chasing low price - CymSTAR is different. We’ve seen what happens when lowest cost trumps proven capability: delays, disruptions, and disappointed users. The C-5 mission deserves better. We show up. We deliver. We answer the call.

In the words of a senior Air Force contracting officer during a recent performance review: “CymSTAR is a rare example of a contractor that does what they say they will do. Their team demonstrates commitment and clarity in execution: a model for others.”

As one OEM partner shared after a recent site visit: “They’re fast, they’re honest, and they know this space better than anyone. Working with CymSTAR doesn’t feel like subcontracting; it feels like teaming.”

As another teammate put it, “CymSTAR leads like a prime but supports like a partner: responsive, capable, and always warfighter focused.”

That reputation matters, especially when warfighter readiness hangs in the balance.

Looking Ahead: The Smart Choice for the C-5 Air Force Training System Recompete

We’re not here for the short term. The C-5 mission is too critical for anything less than continuity, competence, and commitment. In contrast, switching providers introduces risks such as loss of technical continuity, delayed modifications, and disruption to mission-critical training cycles. We’re here to ensure the C-5 mission continues with excellence. That means continuous improvement, stable leadership, and being the partner the Air Force can count on.

Awarding the C-5 Super Galaxy training system contract as part of the Air Force training system recompete isn’t just a procurement action, it’s a statement of trust. It should go to the team that’s already proven its worth, already invested in infrastructure, and already delivering exceptional results. Anything less is a risk the mission can’t afford.

The Air Force doesn’t just need a contractor. It needs a partner who understands the stakes, honors the mission, and delivers without compromise.

That’s who we are.

This is more than business. It’s legacy. It’s patriotism. It’s CymSTAR.

As the nation looks to the future of heavy airlift training, CymSTAR stands ready, because the mission matters, and because we’ve always made it our own. In evaluating the future of the C-5 training system, the Air Force needs a partner it can trust—and CymSTAR has already proven it’s that partner.

Readiness doesn’t come from starting over. It comes from trusted experience in the C-5 training system—and no one delivers that better than CymSTAR, your proven C-5 contractor.