The US Navy aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman transits the Suez Canal, Egypt towards the Mediterranean Sea in a photo released by the US Navy June 2, 2016. U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Anthony Flynn/Handout via REUTERS
Defense News: Grounded: Nearly two-thirds of US Navy’s strike fighters can’t fly
Washington – The US Navy’s F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet strike fighters are the tip of the spear, embodying most of the fierce striking power of the aircraft carrier strike group. But nearly two-thirds of the fleet’s strike fighters can’t fly – grounded because they’re either undergoing maintenance or simply waiting for parts or their turn the aviation depot backlog.
Overall, more than half the Navy’s aircraft are grounded, most because there isn’t enough money to fix them.
There isn’t enough money to fix the fleet’s ships, and the backlog of ships needing work continues to grow. Overhauls – “availabilities” in Navy parlance – are being cancelled or deferred, and when ships do come in they need longer to refit. Every carrier overall for at least three years has run long, and some submarines are out of service for prolonged periods, as much as four years or more. One submarine, the Boise, has lost its diving certification and can’t operate pending shipyard work, and leaders claim that if more money doesn’t become available five more will be in the same state by the end of this year.
Read more ....
WNU Editor: It all comes down to money .... or in this case .... lack of.
3 comments:
"WNU Editor: It all comes down to money .... or in this case .... lack of."
Nope, misspent money, not a lack of money.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cd/PerCapitaInflationAdjustedDefenseSpending.PNG/500px-PerCapitaInflationAdjustedDefenseSpending.PNG
Good point Jay. I had a brain freeze there.
BTW, this gives China a 20:1 advantage in air combat, against all USAF, USMC and USN strike and fighter aircraft,
Globally, not just what can be sortied to the South China Sea.
Post a Comment