Marines Are Flying Only 60% of F-18 Hornets They Need

Problems of chronic maintenance aging F-18 Hornet Hobbling the Marines, leaving them with less than 60 percent of combat aircraft they need for training and operations, the deputy commander of aviation told the Senate this afternoon.

"I stopped preparing our data yesterday," said Lt. Gen. Jon Davis sea power subcommittee of the Senate Armed Services. "We have 87 aircraft were capable mission. Of these 87 aircraft, put the training squad of 30 aircraft and 40 aircraft deployed forward. There is not much for the remaining to train."

Hornets How the Marine Corps should be ready to go? According to the structure of the current force, shrunk, 150: a square formation 30 and 12 fighter squadrons of 10 planes each. Until 18 months ago, this figure was 174 to 30 training aircraft and 12 squadrons of 12 aircraft each - but the Marines decided to reduce each squadron to reflect the reality of insufficient aircraft.



The Marines equip each squadron was deployed overseas. Also jealously guarded their training at full strength team to avoid "eating your seed corn" by reducing the number of new drivers. However, among fighter squadrons, if they are not currently used or about to go, you will be painfully short on aircraft - which means it will run out of time training.

"We have no aircraft to go flying all drivers to their preparation [required] numbers training manual," Davis said. The priority is to ensure that every driver is safe to fly, but said there is little time for the "tactical domain." as a result, pilots out of practice between deployments to fit flight hours that your template is ready to go.

"You should not have to wait until just before the implementation to speed," Davis said, but this is the current reality. Worse, if there was a war or other sudden crisis that necessitated unforeseen deployments, many units would be ready.

The problem is the age of the fleet bodies. Last year, Davis said that 19 percent of aircraft and maritime helicopters - 159 aircraft - were out of "long-term" action for maintenance. It is particularly acute with the Hornets, who are the first models F-18A, B, C, and D acquired in the 1990s and stolen from the hard question. Some parts are out of production: A maintenance crew actually tried components outside a museum of planes dropping; when it does not work, the Marines finally play the game in a 3D printer.

However, the Navy maintains the purchase of the Hornets: The fleet currently has more than F / A-18E much improved and more recent model / F "Super Hornet" as the F-18A / / D "Heritage Hornets / B C. "Saint Louis Boeing plant finally faces the possible end of the Super Hornet production, but there is a good chance of additional sales, or the Navy or Kuwait. A long-awaited study ew by the Office of the Secretary of Defense may order the purchase of more than EA-18G, emission variant Growlers aboard the Hornet when it's released later this year.

Ultimately, the Marine Corps wants to replace its aging fighters - Two Hornets and as AV-8B Harrier - with the new F-35B Joint Strike Fighter. The first two squadrons of F-35Bs are operating, but the new aircraft do not penetrate fast enough to replace fighters geriatrics services. Until they do, the will of the practical for battle will suffer.