Air Force Justification for Storing Its Advanced Medium Short Takeoff and Landing Prototype Aircraft

The Air force has decided to store its four advanced medium short takeoff and landing (STOL) transport prototype aircraft at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. The advanced medium STOL transport (AMST) prototype program was developed to provide a potential replacement for other military transports and to demonstrate that a tactical airlift aircraft could be built at a reasonable cost to deliver large payloads safely and routinely to short, unimproved runways. After it was decided that greater emphasis should be placed on intertheater needs rather than the intratheater needs AMST was addressing, the program was terminated in 1979. Funds were requested in FY 1981 to develop the C-X, an aircraft able to carry outsized cargo over intercontinental distances.

The one-time cost for preparing two of the aircraft for storage was about $15,310.34. The cost for storing the other two was incomplete, but as of May 16, 1980, $10,190.40 in labor costs had been expended. Estimated labor to complete the storage is about $1,500. The aircraft will be inspected at 180-day intervals and required maintenance will be performed at an annual cost of about $437.50 to $525 for each of the four aircraft. The Air Force believes the cost of storage is justified because, although the AMST aircraft are not considered suitable for the C-X mission due to range and payload limitations, its technology could be incorporated into a new design.