12-11-1999

DEFENSE: Aging Arsenal

The Pentagon's aircraft inventory is looking long in the tooth; many of
its planes were built in the 1960s. Maintaining older weapons requires
extra spending, which shortchanges the military budget for new weapons.
This table shows the age and status of important military
airframes.


Number	      Average
System			 In Service	Age
AIR FORCE
A-10 bomber		   368		 21 years
B-1B bomber		    93		 17
B-52H bomber		    94		 38
C-130  transport	   687		 28*
C-141 transport 	   161		 35
F-15A & F-15B fighter      125	     22
F-15C & F-15D	       403	     16
F-15E			   201		  9
F-16C/D fighter-bomber:
Blocks 10-32		  776	     13-20
Blocks 40 & 42	      417	    10
Blocks 50 & 52	      235	     7
NAVY & MARINES
AV-8 fighter-bomber	   170		  9
EA-6B jammer plane	   124		 17
F-14A fighter		   136		 19
F-14B			    74		 13
F-14D			    46		 12
H-46D helicopter	    79		 33
CH-46E			   232		 31
CH-53D helicopter	    61		 29
CH-53E			   161		 11
SH-60B helicopter	   165		 11
SH-60F			    75		  8
ARMY
CH-47 helicopter	   467		 37
UH-60A helicopter	   906		 16
*Active-duty Air Force only. Air Force Reserve C-130s average 16 years
old; Air National Guard C-130s average 19 years.


National Journal