Weapon System Sustainment: Selected Air Force and Navy Aircraft Generally Have Not Met Availability Goals, and DOD and Navy Guidance Need to Be Clarified
Abstract
DOD spends billions of dollars annually to sustain its weapon systems to support current and future operations. The Air Force and Navy are operating many of their fixed-wing aircraft well beyond their original designed service lives and therefore are confronted with sustainment challenges. House Report 114-537 included a provision for GAO to evaluate the sustainment of major weapon systems. This report, among other things, (1) examines the trends in availability and O and S costs for selected Air Force and Navy fixed-wing aircraft since fiscal year 2011, including whether they met availability goals, and (2) assesses the extent that the departments documented sustainment strategies, reviewed sustainment metrics, and implemented plans to improve aircraft availability. GAO selected a nongeneralizable sample of 12 fixed-wing aircraft by considering a variety of factors, such as the type, age, and manufacturer of the aircraft, among other factors, and analyzed condition and availability data, O and S costs, and sustainment challenges from fiscal year 2011 through March 2017 for each aircraft in a "Sustainment Quick Look." GAO also analyzed policies, strategies, and plans, and interviewed Navy and Air Force officials in program offices, squadrons, and maintenance depots.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 10, 2018
- Accession Number
- AD1166756
Entities
People
- Amie Lesser
- Clarine Allen
- John Bumgarner
- Matt Spiers
- Natasha Wilder
- Richard Powelson
- Ron Aribo
- Steve Putansu
- Vincent Buquicchio
- Zina D. Merritt
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office