[UPDATE: I didn't get into journalism for the math. Updated chart corrects combined fighter purchases from 51 to 61.]
DOD plans to spend $23.5 billion to buy about 533 aircraft, excluding the 1,221 RQ-11 Raven micro-UAVs. For the first time I know, the budgets for C2/ISR and UAV platforms exceed the total airlift budget, thanks to the cancellation of the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III.
I've seen two major budget surprises so far:
1. The MQ-12 Liberty program has shifted from the US Air Force to the US Army. This may be a trade-off for shifting Joint Cargo Aircraft (JCA) from the army to the USAF.
2. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates apparently made an $800 million blooper on 6 April. At that time, Gates said the FY10 budget request for F-35 would total $11.2 billion for 30 aircraft. However, this budget request includes only $10.4 billion, and the aircraft number remains stable at 30. There appears to be no material changes in the budget from 6 April to today.
DOD plans to spend $23.5 billion to buy about 533 aircraft, excluding the 1,221 RQ-11 Raven micro-UAVs. For the first time I know, the budgets for C2/ISR and UAV platforms exceed the total airlift budget, thanks to the cancellation of the Boeing C-17 Globemaster III.
I've seen two major budget surprises so far:
1. The MQ-12 Liberty program has shifted from the US Air Force to the US Army. This may be a trade-off for shifting Joint Cargo Aircraft (JCA) from the army to the USAF.
2. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates apparently made an $800 million blooper on 6 April. At that time, Gates said the FY10 budget request for F-35 would total $11.2 billion for 30 aircraft. However, this budget request includes only $10.4 billion, and the aircraft number remains stable at 30. There appears to be no material changes in the budget from 6 April to today.
| US DOD FY10 AVIATION BUDGET REQUEST | ||
|---|---|---|
| FIGHTERS | QUANTITY | BUDGET |
| EA-18G Growler | 22 | $1.6 billion |
| F/A-18E/F Super Hornet | 9 | $1 billion |
| F-35 Lightning II | 30 | $6.8 billion |
| Subtotals | 61 | $9.4 billion |
| ROTORCRAFT | ||
| UH-72 Lakota | 54 | $326 million |
| AH-64 Block III | 8 | $219.2 million |
| UH-60 Black Hawk | 83 | $1.5 billion |
| CH-47 Chinook | 39 | $1.1 billion |
| MH-60S Sierra | 18 | $492.9 million |
| MH-60R Romeo | 24 | $943.2 million |
| V-22 Osprey | 35 | $2.8 billion |
| UH-1Y/AH-1Z | 30 | $835.4 million |
| Subtotals | 291 | $7.3 billion |
| C2/ISR | ||
| P-8A Poseidon | 6 | $1.8 billion |
| E-2D Advanced Hawkeye | 2 | $606.2 million |
| MC-12 Liberty | 6 | $105 million |
| Subtotals | 14 | $2.5 billion |
| UAVs | ||
| MQ-1C Sky Warrior | 36 | $651 million |
| RQ-11 | 1221 | $135 million |
| "STUAS LO" | 18 | $24.2 million |
| RQ-7 Shadow | 11 | $57.8 million |
| MQ-8 Fire Scout | 5 | $77.6 million |
| MQ-9 Reaper | 24 | $489.5 million |
| RQ-4B Global Hawk | 5 | $667.8 million |
| Subtotals | 1,320 | $2.1 billion |
| AIRLIFT | ||
| C-40A Clipper | 1 | $74.4 million |
| C-130J Hercules | 12 | $1.41 billion |
| C-27J | 8 | $319.1 million |
| Subtotals | 21 | $1.8 billion |
| TRAINERS | ||
| T-6A Texan II | 38 | $266.5 million |
| MISC | ||
| "Non standard aviation" | 9 | $227.6 million |
| Totals | 1,754 | $23.6 billion |
| (excluding RQ-11) | 533 | $23.5 billion |
Source: DOD budget materials
on May 7, 2009 11:39 PM | Reply
Any idea what "STUAS LO" is?
Also shouldn't that be RQ-11 Raven.
on May 8, 2009 3:26 AM | Reply
Is it just me or does buying 30 F-35's, for $6B.8 with the problems they are having and the cost that is increasing faster than the GAO can count seem to be more than a little outragous? Obviously DOD hasn't learned from past experience.