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The Administration's defense program includes a major expansion of the Navy. This program would involve substantial expenditures not only for additional ships but also for naval aircraft, both to establish new carrier-based air wings and to complete the modernization of the 12 existing wings.

This report, prepared at the request of the House Committee on Armed Services, estimates the cost of adding new Navy air wings and modernizing the Navy's fighter and attack forces. It also examines alternative approaches to Navy aircraft force modernization. A companion paper, Building a 600-Ship Navy: Costs, Timing, and Alternative Approaches, examines shipbuilding issues, while a forthcoming Congressional Budget Office (CBO) paper will address manpower concerns. In accordance with CBO's mandate to provide objective and impartial analysis, the paper offers no recommendations.

This study was prepared by Alan H. Shaw of CBO's National Security and International Affairs Division, under the general supervision of Robert F. Hale and John J. Hamre. Patrick Haar of CBO's Budget Analysis Division reviewed the cost estimates. Robert L. Vogel assisted in preparing the paper. Discussions with Peter T. Tarpgaard and Edward A. Swoboda of CBO were useful in preparing this paper. It was reviewed at various stages by Alfred B. Fitt of CBO and by Dr. John Transue. The cooperation of the U.S. Navy in providing data is gratefully acknowledged. The assistance of external reviewers and of the Navy implies no responsibility for the final product, which rests solely with CBO. Francis Pierce and Robert L. Faherty edited the manuscript; Janet Stafford prepared it for publication.
 

Alice M. Rivlin
Director
May 1982
 
 

SUMMARY

CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION

• Background
• Carrier Aircraft
• Issues Facing the Congress
• Scope of the Paper

CHAPTER II. THE COSTS OF THE NAVY'S EXPANSION AND MODERNIZATION PLAN

• Long-Run Costs of Expansion and Modernization
• Five-Year Costs
• The Impact of Production Rates on the Rate of Expansion

CHAPTER III. ANALYSIS OF ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES TO MODERNIZING FIGHTER AND ATTACK FORCES

• The F/A-18 Program
• Alternative Attack Aircraft
• Alternative Fighter Aircraft

APPENDIX A. A CALCULATION OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF CARRIER-BASED ATTACK FORCES

APPENDIX B. COSTS

APPENDIX C. EXPANSION OF THE CARRIER FORCE AT CURRENT AIRCRAFT PRODUCTION RATES
 

TABLES
1.	COMPOSITION OF A TYPICAL CARRIER AIR WING IN 1982
2.	COMPOSITION OF AN EXPANSION AIR WING
3.	COSTS OF PROCURING AND OPERATING ONE CARRIER AIR WING
4.	ADMINISTRATION REQUEST FOR CARRIER AIRCRAFT PROCUREMENT COSTS OF CARRIER AIRCRAFT PROCUREMENT
5.	PROCUREMENT COSTS OF ALTERNATIVE ATTACK*AIRCRAFT FORCES
6.	FIFTEEN-YEAR TOTAL COSTS OF ALTERNATIVE ATTACK AIRCRAFT FORCES
A-1.	RANGE TO WHICH SPECIFIC LOADS CAN BE CARRIED BY AIRCRAFT FLYING A HIGH-LOW-HIGH MISSION PROFILE
B-1.	AIRCRAFT REQUIREMENTS FOR ONE CARRIER AIR WING
B-2.	AIRCRAFT UNIT COSTS
B-3.	COST OF PROCURING ONE CARRIER AIR WING
B-4.	COST OF AIRCRAFT, INCLUDING ATTRITION AIRCRAFT, FOR ONE CARRIER AIR WING
B-5.	PERSONNEL NEEDED FOR ONE CARRIER AIR WING
B-6.	OPERATION COSTS FOR ONE CARRIER AIR WING FOR ONE YEAR
B-7.	NUMBER OF F-14s OR F/A-18s REQUIRED FOR TEN SQUADRONS
B-8.	PROCUREMENT SCHEDULE FOR TEN SQUADRONS OF F-14s
B-9.	SAVINGS ARISING FROM BUYING TEN SQUADRONS OF F/A-18s RATHER THAN TEN SQUADRONS OF F-14s
B-10.	A-6E PROCUREMENT SCHEDULE
B-11.	FIFTEEN-YEAR TOTAL COST COMPARISON OF ATTACK AIRCRAFT ALTERNATIVES
B-12.	COST COMPARISON OF ATTACK AIRCRAFT ALTERNATIVES
FIGURES
1.	CAPABILITIES OF ALTERNATIVE ATTACK FORCES
2.	RATIOS OF BOMB DELIVERY CAPACITIES OF ALTERNATIVE FORCES TO THAT OF NAVY'S PREFERRED FORCE
3.	HOW A THREE-TO-ONE ADVANTAGE IN ATTRITION RATES WOULD AFFECT THE RATIO OF SORTIES BY F/A-18s TO SORTIES BY A-7Es OVER THE COURSE OF A CAMPAIGN
4.	RANGE OF IMPROVEMENT IN BOMB DELIVERY CAPACITY FROM ADDING 24 F/A-18s TO A CARRIER AIR WING, AT VARIOUS DISTANCES TO TARGET
A-1.	RANGE/PAYLOAD COMPARISON OF FOUR ATTACK AIRCRAFT FORCES

 

To counter the growing threat of the Soviet navy, the Administration has announced its intention to reverse the long-term decline in the size of the U.S. Navy and otherwise improve Navy capabilities. It proposes to expand the U.S. fleet from the current 535 ships to roughly 600 and to increase the number of carrier-based air wings from 12 to 14. In addition to expanding, the Navy plans to modernize the existing carrier air forces, replacing 360 aircraft with more recent types, notably the F/A-18. This paper estimates the cost of the Navy's plan to expand and modernize its carrier air forces and examines alternatives to parts of that plan, while a companion Congressional Budget Office paper analyzes the shipbuilding issue.

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