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GAO Report on U.S. Tactical Military Aircraft

21 December 2022

The following is the Government Accountability Office report, Tactical Aircraft Investments: DoD Needs Additional Portfolio Analysis to Inform Future Budget Decisions.

From the report

What GAO Found

Tactical aircraft—fixed-wing fighter and attack planes—provide air-to-air, air-to-ground, and electronic warfare capabilities that are vital to combat operations and homeland defense. Recent studies conducted by the Department of Defense’s (DOD) Joint Staff and the military services have found that...

https://news.usni.org/2022/12/21/gao-report-on-u-s-tactical-military-aircraft

GAO Report on Gaps in U.S. Military Aircraft Readiness

11 November 2022

The following is the Nov. 10, 2022, Government Accountability Office report, Weapon System Sustainment Aircraft Mission Capable Goals Were Generally Not Met and Sustainment Costs Varied by Aircraft.

From the report

GAO examined 49 aircraft and found that only four met their annual mission capable goal in a majority of the years from fiscal years 2011 through 2021. As shown below, 26 aircraft did not meet their annual mission capable goal in any fiscal year. The mission capable rate—the percentage...

https://news.usni.org/2022/11/11/gao-report-on-gaps-in-u-s-military-aircraft-readiness

GAO Report: Navy, Air Force Declining Aircraft Mission Capable Rates

17 June 2022

The following is the June Government Accountability Office report, Air Force and Navy Aviation: Actions Needed to Address Persistent Sustainment Risks.

From the report

What GAO Found

Mission capable rates—a metric used to assess the health and readiness of an aircraft fleet—and other related maintenance metrics trends have worsened since fiscal year 2015 for eight selected aircraft.

While the Air Force and Navy have initiatives to address unit-level maintenance challenges, neither service has...

https://news.usni.org/2022/06/17/gao-report-navy-air-force-declining-aircraft-mission-capable-rates

Navy Will Endure Strike Fighter Gaps Until 2031, Lawmakers Say

28 April 2022

Navy F/A-18 Hornets on North Island, Calif., on Feb. 15, 2022. USNI News Photo

Despite recent projections that it would eliminate strike fighter gaps in the next three years, the Navy now won’t have enough jets to train and deploy efficiently until 2031, two lawmakers said today.

Rep. Donald Norcross (D-N.J.) and Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.), the top lawmakers on the House Armed Services tactical air and land forces subcommittee, disclosed the new timeline during the panel’s hearing today.

Norcross,...

https://news.usni.org/2022/04/27/navy-will-endure-strike-fighter-gaps-until-2031-lawmakers-say

A Generational Change in Naval Aviation Has Begun Amidst Tight Budgets, Fighter Gaps

24 March 2022

Two F-35C Lightning II fighter jets, attached to the “Argonauts” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 147, fly in formation for a photo exercise in Lemoore, Calif., Nov. 16, 2018. VFA-147 is the first U.S. Navy Operational F-35C squadron based out of Naval Air Station (NAS) Lemoore. US Navy photo.

The Navy’s future carrier air wing will include a mix of both fourth- and fifth-generation aircraft, with the F-35C and the Super Hornets making up the strike fighter fleet. The recent F-35C deployment...

https://news.usni.org/2022/03/24/a-generational-change-in-naval-aviation-has-begun-amidst-tight-budgets-fighter-gaps

Navy Aviation Vision 2030-2035

29 October 2021

The following is the Navy Aviation Vision 2030-2035 released this week by the Navy.

From the report

The National Defense Strategy (NDS) identifies a complex global security environment
characterized by overt challenges to the current international order and the resurgence of
long-term, strategic competition among nations. It calls for a lethal, agile, resilient, and
rapidly deployable force designed to compete against, deter, and win victories over all
adversaries. Implementing CNO’s guidance...

https://news.usni.org/2021/10/29/navy-aviation-vision-2030-2035