Navy Aviation

With a projected total cost of $63 billion, the Navy's program to modernize its fleet of F-18 tactical aircraft ranks among the most costly of military aviation projects. Yet the planned F/A-18E/F will deliver only marginal operational improvements over the current F/A-18C/D model. The operational deficiencies in the F/A-18C/Ds that the Navy cited as a justification for developing the F/A-18E/F either have failed to materialize or can be corrected with nonstructural changes to the C/D. Furthermore, E/F operational capabilities will be only slightly better than those of the C/D model. Given the expense and the marginal improvements in operational capabilities that the F/A-18E/F would provide, GAO recommends that the Pentagon reconsider the decision to produce the F/A-18E/F aircraft and, instead, consider procuring additional F/A-18C/Ds. The number of F/A-18C/Ds that the Navy would ultimately need to buy will depend on when the next generation strike fighter becomes operational and the number of those planes the Navy decides to purchase.

GAO found that: (1) the F/A-18C/D could achieve strike ranges greater than required by the F/A-18E/F system specifications; (2) F/A-18C/D aircraft in service in Bosnian operations have achieved a carrier recovery payload capacity greater than the Navy's predicted carrier recovery payload capacity; (3) while the F/A-18E/F is predicted to have improved survivability over the F/A-18C/D, the F/A-18E/F was not justified on the basis that it was needed to counter a particular military threat that could not be met with current capabilities, and planned F/A-18E/F survivability might be better attained at less cost with the next-generation strike fighter; (4) despite the Navy's prediction, the F/A-18C/D has the additional space required for new avionics systems; (5) F/A-18E/F payload capability may not occur until air flow problems are corrected; (6) the next-generation Joint Strike Fighter is projected to cost less per aircraft, and be more capable than the F/A-18E/F; (7) reducing the total number of F/A-18E/F aircraft to be bought and the annual production rate to levels tat are more realistic than the Navy estimated will result in the F/A-18E/F costing about $9.6 million more per aircraft than originally estimated; and (8) the Navy would save $17 billion in recurring flyaway costs if it procured F/A-18C/D aircraft rather than F/A-18E/F aircraft.

Recommendations

Our recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.

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