Strategic Airlift

Improvements in C-5 Mission Capability Can Help Meet Airlift Requirements Gao ID: NSIAD-96-43 November 20, 1995

Although the Defense Department (DOD) is counting on the C-5 to deliver nearly half of the cargo carried by military aircraft in the event of war, a shortage of spare parts and a poor strategy to modernize the aircraft have resulted in readiness rates that are considerably below expectations. The manufacturer contends that improving the C-5 spare parts process, particularly by scheduling repairs of spare parts on the basis of their impact on mission capability, could substantially improve the C-5's mission capable rate. The rate could also be improved if the Air Force did a readiness evaluation similar to the one recently completed for the B-1B aircraft. That evaluation found that the B-1B's mission capable rate could increase if support for spare parts was improved. The Air Force has not prioritized proposed C-5 modifications according to which one would contribute most to improving mission capability. As a result, decisionmakers cannot fully assess the impact that proposed improvements could have on overall aircraft mission capability or total airlift capability. If peacetime C-5 mission capable rates could achieve the Air Force's goal of 75 percent, DOD could gain an additional 1.3 million ton miles per day of C-5 wartime capability--the equivalent of 10 C-17s. As a result, DOD could come close to meeting military airlift requirements.

GAO found that: (1) DOD is relying on C-5 aircraft to deliver about half of the wartime cargo carried by military aircraft, but C-5 mission-capable rates have fallen short of the Air Force's goal and those of other aircraft, because of a lack of spare parts and the complexity and poor reliability of the C-5; (2) the Air Force could improve the C-5 mission capable rate by conducting a readiness evaluation similar to the one it completed for B-1B aircraft and by giving a higher priority to certain C-5 modernization initiatives; (3) the Air Force has not prioritized proposed C-5 modifications and decisionmakers have not fully assessed the impact that these proposed improvements would have on overall aircraft mission capability; and (4) if peacetime C-5 mission capable rates were raised to the Air Force's goal, DOD could better meet its airlift requirements.

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