Inside Defense (Updated)
Editor's Note: This article originally reported that an aircraft inventory chart included in the Pentagon's Aircraft Investment Plan report to Congress showed a drop in Navy inventory of strike aircraft. The chart actually refers to a significant decline in investment, not the actual amount of aircraft. The article has been updated to reflect that.
Feb. 2, 2010 -- The Navy is projecting a drop of about $2 billion in fighter aircraft investment between fiscal years 2013 and 2014, as well as an overall 10 percent decline over the next 10 years, as the service transitions from the F/A-18 to the Joint Strike Fighter, according to the Pentagon's 30-year aviation outlook, obtained today by Inside the Navy.
A chart included in the Aircraft Investment Plan, submitted with the FY-11 budget by Defense Secretary Robert Gates, predicts that aircraft investment for the Navy will rise from about $9 billion in FY-11 to $10 billion in FY-13 as the service buys more Super Hornets -- a result of the Navy's decision to extend the F/A-18 production line through 2013 to mitigate a delay in delivery of the JSF, according to the document, which covers Air Force and Navy aviation from 2011 to 2040.
When the Super Hornet line shuts down after FY-13, the chart shows a dip in aircraft investment to about $6 billion aircraft in FY-16. As the JSF production ramps up, that will increase to around $7 billion by 2020.
“That trend reflects ongoing and planned efforts to retire fourth-generation fighter aircraft in order to achieve the critical capabilities provided by fifth-generation fighters and unmanned multirole [intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance] platforms,” the report states.
The report also notes that, over the next 10 years, Navy investment “will focus on accelerating the development of a carrier-based unmanned aircraft,” known as the Unmanned Combat Aircraft System (UCAS), which is currently in development.
It goes on to note that “a sizable investment, ramping up to approximately $7 billion in FY-2020, is directed towards the development of a multirole unmanned platform.”
“The Navy is conducting analysis to determine key capabilities for the future, sea-based unmanned aerial system (CVN UAS),” the report states. “Options cover a wide range, to include a high-endurance ISR/strike platform for irregular warfare and a stealthy aircraft to defeat advanced air defenses.”
Also, the Marine Corps “plans to increase existing unmanned aerial system (UAS) capabilities fielding a multirole, Group 4 UAS in the FY-2018 time frame,” the report adds. “This expeditionary platform will provide the Marine Air Ground Take Forces with enhanced surveillance and strike capabilities.” -- Dan Taylor
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