Pentagon Plans To Spend $100Bln Over 5 Years To Upgrade Tactical Air Combat Fleet - GAO

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 21st December, 2022) The US Department of Defense is planning a massive five year $100 billion acquisition program to upgrade, modernize or replace its existing fleet of tactical combat aircraft, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) said in a report on Tuesday.

"Over the next five years, the Department of Defense is proposing to spend nearly $100 billion on major investments and changes to its current mix of tactical aircraft," the report said.

The expenditure will include modernizing existing aircraft, buying and developing new aircraft and retiring a significant number of older planes, the GAO explained.

"We recommended that the Defense Department analyze its portfolio of tactical aircraft investments, including interdependencies and tradeoffs among the different planes, and report on its findings to Congress," the report said.

Recent studies conducted by the Defense Department's Joint Staff and the military services have found that the Pentagon needs to modernize its tactical aircraft fleet and seven of eight studies found that existing aircraft did not have the capabilities needed to compete in future combat scenarios, the GAO said.