Defense Acquisitions: Strategic Airlift Gap Has Been Addressed, but Tactical Airlift Plans Are Evolving as Key Issues Have Not Been Resolved

Abstract

DOD used nearly 700 aircraft, as well as commercial and leased aircraft, to carry about 3 million troops and 800,000 tons of cargo in support of wartime, peacetime, and humanitarian efforts in 2008. C-5s and C-17s move troops and cargo internationally (strategic airlift) and C-130s are the primary aircraft that moves them within a theater of operation (tactical airlift). Over the next 4 years, DOD plans to spend about $12 billion to modernize and procure airlifters and is currently studying how many it needs. GAO was asked to (1) identify the status of DOD's modernization and acquisition efforts and (2) determine how well DOD is addressing any capability gaps and redundancies. In conducting this work, GAO identified the cost, schedule, and performance of airlift programs, as well as DOD's plan for addressing gaps and redundancies. GAO also discussed mobility study efforts with DOD, Institute for Defense Analysis (IDA), and RAND officials.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Nov 01, 2009
Accession Number
AD1149487

Entities

People

  • Michael Sullivan

Organizations

  • United States Government Accountability Office

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Aircraft Equipment
  • Aircrafts
  • Airframes
  • Cargo Aircraft
  • Combat Operations
  • Composite Materials
  • Congress
  • Department Of Defense
  • Employment
  • Ground Vehicles
  • House Of Representatives
  • Law
  • Logistics
  • Military Acquisition
  • Procurement
  • Test And Evaluation
  • Tilt Rotor Aircraft
  • Transport Aircraft
  • United States Government
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Aerospace logistics and air mobility.
  • Defense Acquisition Program Management