To conduct its analysis, CBO used the Air Force’s Reliability and Maintainability Information System (REMIS), which tracks the availability and flying hours of specific Air Force aircraft, and the Air Force Total Ownership Cost (AFTOC) system, which provides data on costs to maintain and operate the aircraft. Therefore, this analysis provides information about only one aspect (life-cycle costs) of the broader question of when UASs might be used in place of manned aircraft. Thus, manned aircraft may provide military value relative to UASs that justifies a cost premium, although advances in technology may reduce or eventually eliminate those differences in capability.ĬBO has no basis for comparing the value of ISR data produced by manned aircraft with that produced by UASs. In addition, a manned aircraft might generate more valuable intelligence per flying hour because experts are on board the aircraft.
By contrast, missions requiring rapid responses, such as air-to-air combat, may require an operator on board because of UASs’ communication lags.For example, UASs are especially well-suited for long duration ISR missions and operations in particularly dangerous settings because there is no risk of personnel onboard being captured or killed. Unmanned aircraft may provide important operational advantages over manned aircraft in certain situations and for certain missions (and vice versa).(See Congressional Budget Office, Policy Options for Unmanned Aircraft Systems, This report further assesses evidence about differences in usage patterns and life-cycle costs per flying hour associated with UASs, considering both up-front and recurring costs.Īlthough all nine manned and unmanned aircraft discussed in this report perform broadly similar missions, they have different capabilities: However, an earlier CBO analysis noted that the magnitude of UASs’ cost advantages was uncertain. BackgroundĬonventional wisdom holds that UASs cost less than manned aircraft because they do not need life support equipment such as oxygen systems, cabin pressurization, and ejection seats. However, comparing the life-cycle costs (including acquisition costs) per flying hour of the Air Force’s unmanned RQ-4 and the Navy’s manned P-8, the Congressional Budget Office found that UASs’ cost advantage may not be as large when the costs of acquiring the aircraft are considered. UASs generally have lower recurring costs per flying hour than manned aircraft. Usage Patterns and Costs of Unmanned Aerial Systemsįor the past two decades, the Department of Defense (DoD) has been selectively using unmanned aerial systems (UASs) in place of manned intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) aircraft, flying them for much longer durations, on average. But for some types of situations and missions, having people on board may enhance the mission’s military value and likelihood of success.
In some situations and for some missions, UASs may be preferable because they may provide important operational advantages over manned aircraft. Cost is only one factor to consider when choosing between UASs and manned aircraft. On average, each RQ-4’s acquisition cost would be amortized over fewer flying hours than the acquisition cost of each P-8 would be that difference would more than offset the lower acquisition costs of the RQ-4s. Although RQ-4s cost less to acquire than P-8, the difference in life-cycle costs per flying hour is narrower than the difference in recurring costs per flying hour because RQ-4s are expected to have shorter life spans. In CBO’s estimation, the life-cycle costs per flying hour of the RQ-4 are 17 percent less than those of the P-8, which is significantly smaller than the 38 percent difference between the recurring costs per flying hour of the two aircraft. UASs have had both lower acquisition costs and recurring costs per flying hour.Ĭomparison of the RQ-4 and the P-8. They have also been destroyed at a considerably higher rate than manned systems.Ĭosts. Annually, UASs have flown about twice as many flying hours as manned ISR aircraft because they have flown longer sorties.
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In this report, the Congressional Budget Office analyzes the usage patterns and costs of three UASs and six manned aircraft with similar ISR missions and compares the life-cycle costs per flying hour (acquisition costs per flying hour plus recurring costs per flying hour) of the Air Force’s unmanned RQ-4 and the Navy’s manned P-8. The Department of Defense uses unmanned aerial systems (UASs) for some intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions.
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