The Cheapest Planes in the US Military - 24/7 Wall St.
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Militaries around the world are constantly focused on running cost-effective operations and procurements, meaning getting the most bang for their buck. Ideally, the military is looking to extend its capabilities while maintaining its resources. Often times, the cheaper options for military equipment, vehicles or aircraft are not the best options but finding a cost-effective balance helps governments save on the bottom line while still marshalling an effective fighting force.
The U.S. military maintains easily the most expensive fleet of aircraft on the planet compared to any other country, but that is not to say it does not employ many cost-effective planes – many worth less than $100 million per unit. These aircraft serve essential roles and complement the high-value aircraft.
To identify the least expensive military planes in the U.S. military, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the 2023 World Air Forces report from FlightGlobal, an aviation and aerospace industry website, and varying sources for prices of U.S. military aircraft listed in the report. Included in this list are the 35 aircraft with unit prices of less than $100 million – adjusted for inflation to September 2023 using the CPI inflation calculator from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Data on primary roles and primary contractors came from various military and historical sources.
One of the more famous entries on this list is the A-10 Thunderbolt II, commonly referred to as the Warthog. Valued at around $18 million, the Warthog is known for its durability, firepower, and low-speed, low-altitude attack capabilities. It acts as a vital asset for ground troop support.
The F-16 Fighting Falcon, another essential aircraft, is valued at roughly $27 million per unit. Possessing a mix of air-to-air combat and ground attack capabilities, the fighter jet is used by various nations due to its affordability and continues to be a staple in the U.S. air fleet. (See other aircraft used by the most nations and military forces.)
In contrast to the high-cost stealth fighters and bombers, the aircraft on this list constitute a major component of the U.S. military’s air fleet, often with relatively high numbers of active aircraft (over 280 for the Thunderbolt, about 775 for the Fighting Falcon, and nearly 550 for the Super Hornet), speaking to their cost-effectiveness in allowing for higher inventory. They demonstrate that advanced technology, such as in the case of the F/A-18 Super Hornet, does not necessarily have to drain the budget. (The Super Hornet is among the 26 military aircraft of the future.)
What stands out about this list is that the lesser expensive aircraft of the U.S. military fleet tend to be combat aircraft, fighter jets, and smaller transports. This is in stark contrast to the B-2 Spirit Stealth Bomber, which only had a production run of 21 because each unit is valued at more than $2 billion.
It is also important to consider not just the purchase value of these aircraft, but also the cost to maintain, train, and operate them. All of these factors contribute to the overall affordability.
These are the least expensive planes in the US military.
Source: 97462521@N08 / Flickr
35. P-8 Poseidon
> Est. cost per unit, 2023: $99.33 million
> Active in U.S. Military: 116
> Primary role: Intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance, anti-submarine warfare, anti-ship warfare
> Primary contractors: The Boeing Company
Source: viper-zero / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
34. Martin P-3 Orion
> Est. cost per unit, 2023: $96.10 million
> Active in U.S. Military: 17
> Primary role: Intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance
> Primary contractors: Lockheed Martin
Source: gsmudger / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
33. C-130 Hercules Military Transport Aircraft
> Est. cost per unit, 2023: $92.33 million
> Active in U.S. Military: 351
> Primary role: Aerial refueling, tactical passenger and cargo airlift
> Primary contractors: Lockheed Martin
32. E-2 Hawkeye Airborne Command and Control Aircraft
> Est. cost per unit, 2023: $89.75 million
> Active in U.S. Military: 73
> Primary role: Airborne Command and Control, Battle Space Management
> Primary contractors: Northrop Grumman
31. Bombardier Express E-11
> Est. cost per unit, 2023: $87.79 million
> Active in U.S. Military: 4
> Primary role: Airborne early warning, electronic warfare, transport
> Primary contractors: Airbus Military
Source: my_public_domain_photos / Flickr
30. F/A-18E/F Super Hornet
> Est. cost per unit, 2023: $78.91 million
> Active in U.S. Military: 547
> Primary role: Multi-role attack and fighter aircraft.
> Primary contractors: The Boeing Company
Source: matt_hecht / Flickr
29. C-40 Clipper
> Est. cost per unit, 2023: $76.63 million
> Active in U.S. Military: 17
> Primary role: High-priority personnel transport
> Primary contractors: The Boeing Company
Source: Public Domain / Defense Visual Information Distribution Service
28. C-37A (Gulfstream V) and C/NC-37B (Gulfstream 550)
> Est. cost per unit, 2023: $76.01 million
> Active in U.S. Military: 0
> Primary role: Passenger transport
> Primary contractors: CLS – Gulfstream
Source: Public Domain / Defense Visual Information Distribution Service
27. UC-35 Citation
> Est. cost per unit, 2023: $75.81 million
> Active in U.S. Military: 38
> Primary role: Passenger and cargo airlift
> Primary contractors: DynCorps; Valair and Pratt & Whitney.
Source: Public Domain / Defense Visual Information Distribution Service
26. EA-18G Growler Airborne Electronic Attack Aircraft
> Est. cost per unit, 2023: $75.18 million
> Active in U.S. Military: 152
> Primary role: Airborne Electronic Attack
> Primary contractors: The Boeing Company
Source: barteq24 / Flickr
25. KC-135 Stratotanker
> Est. cost per unit, 2023: $74.32 million
> Active in U.S. Military: 388
> Primary role: Aerial refueling and airlift
> Primary contractors: The Boeing Company
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
24. EP-3 Ares II
> Est. cost per unit, 2023: $68.57 million
> Active in U.S. Military: 11
> Primary role: Multi-Intelligence reconnaissance aircraft
> Primary contractors: Lockheed Martin
Source: Public Domain / Defense Visual Information Distribution Service
23. C-2A Greyhound Logistics Aircraft
> Est. cost per unit, 2023: $44.82 million
> Active in U.S. Military: 30
> Primary role: Carrier On-board Delivery (COD) aircraft
> Primary contractors: Northrop Grumman
Source: Public Domain / Defense Visual Information Distribution Service
22. C-20 Gulfstream Logistics Aircraft
> Est. cost per unit, 2023: $43.99 million
> Active in U.S. Military: 6
> Primary role: Worldwide passenger and cargo airlift
> Primary contractors: Gulfstream Aerospace and M7 Aerospace
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
21. Leonardo C-27 Spartan
> Est. cost per unit, 2023: $43.89 million
> Active in U.S. Military: 7
> Primary role: Transport
> Primary contractors: The Boeing Company
Source: my_public_domain_photos / Flickr
20. AV-8B Harrier II
> Est. cost per unit, 2023: $35.80 million
> Active in U.S. Military: 87
> Primary role: Combat aircraft
> Primary contractors: The Boeing Company
Source: Public Domain / Defense Visual Information Distribution Service
19. F/A-18 A-D Hornet
> Est. cost per unit, 2023: $33.98 million
> Active in U.S. Military: 236
> Primary role: Multi-role attack and fighter aircraft
> Primary contractors: The Boeing Company
Source: JoeClemson / iStock via Getty Images
18. Bombadier Dash 8
> Est. cost per unit, 2023: $33.05 million
> Active in U.S. Military: 20
> Primary role: Special mission, transport
> Primary contractors: de Havilland
Source: usairforce / Flickr
17. F-16A/B Fighting Falcon Fighter
> Est. cost per unit, 2023: $27.58 million
> Active in U.S. Military: 775
> Primary role: Adversary fighter
> Primary contractors: General Dynamics Corp., and Lockheed Martin
16. Boeing RC-135
> Est. cost per unit, 2023: $21.47 million
> Active in U.S. Military: 22
> Primary role: Intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance
> Primary contractors: The Boeing Company
Source: Thanh Liem / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
15. C-146 Wolfhound
> Est. cost per unit, 2023: $19.27 million
> Active in U.S. Military: 20
> Primary role: MEDEVAC, transport, intelligence-surveillance-reconnaissance
> Primary contractors: Dornier
Source: Public Domain / Defense Visual Information Distribution Service
14. T-45C Goshawk Training Aircraft
> Est. cost per unit, 2023: $19.11 million
> Active in U.S. Military: 189
> Primary role: Training platform for Navy/Marine Corps pilots
> Primary contractors: The Boeing Company
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
13. MC-12W Liberty
> Est. cost per unit, 2023: $18.61 million
> Active in U.S. Military: 40
> Primary role: intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance
> Primary contractors: L-3 Communications
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
12. A-10C Thunderbolt II
> Est. cost per unit, 2023: $18.39 million
> Active in U.S. Military: 286
> Primary role: Close air support, airborne forward air control, combat search and rescue
> Primary contractors: Fairchild Republic
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
11. U-28A Draco
> Est. cost per unit, 2023: $18.06 million
> Active in U.S. Military: 35
> Primary role: Transport
> Primary contractors: Pilatus Aircraft
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
10. Fairchild C-26 Metroliner
> Est. cost per unit, 2023: $16.09 million
> Active in U.S. Military: 24
> Primary role: Transport
> Primary contractors: Fairchild Swearingen
9. M-28 Skytruck
> Est. cost per unit, 2023: $15.50 million
> Active in U.S. Military: 5
> Primary role: Close-air support, transport, search and rescue
> Primary contractors: Sikorsky
8. Airbus Military CN-235
> Est. cost per unit, 2023: $9.15 million
> Active in U.S. Military: 5
> Primary role: Close air support, ground attack, search and rescue, transport, MEDEVAC
> Primary contractors: Airbus Military
Source: santirf / iStock Editorial via Getty Images
7. Beechcraft 1900
> Est. cost per unit, 2023: $8.57 million
> Active in U.S. Military: 6
> Primary role: Airborne early warning, electronic warfare, transport
> Primary contractors: Beechcraft
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
6. DHC-6 Twin Otter
> Est. cost per unit, 2023: $7.23 million
> Active in U.S. Military: 1
> Primary role: MEDEVAC, transport
> Primary contractors: de Havilland
Source: Public Domain / Defense Visual Information Distribution Service
5. UC-12 Huron Logistics Aircraft
> Est. cost per unit, 2023: $7.12 million
> Active in U.S. Military: 324
> Primary role: Light passenger and cargo airlift
> Primary contractors: Raytheon Aircraft Company
4. Learjet 35
> Est. cost per unit, 2023: $6.03 million
> Active in U.S. Military: 19
> Primary role: Transport
> Primary contractors: Learjet
3. Beechcraft C-12 Huron
> Est. cost per unit, 2023: $3.75 million
> Active in U.S. Military: 324
> Primary role: Transport
> Primary contractors: Beechcraft
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
2. Cessna 208 Caravan
> Est. cost per unit, 2023: $3.32 million
> Active in U.S. Military: 2
> Primary role: Transport
> Primary contractors: Cessna Aircraft Company
Source: Public Domain / Defense Visual Information Distribution Service
1. T-34C Turbomentor Training Aircraft
> Est. cost per unit, 2023: $1.13 million
> Active in U.S. Military: 17
> Primary role: Pilot proficiency, low safe mission, and other aircraft support services for the fleet
> Primary contractors: Raytheon Aircraft Company
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U.S. Military
The non-partisan U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently released an overview of mission capable rates and the cost of operating U.S. military aircraft. It examined more than 40 different aircraft types, finding that only three of them reached their mission capable goals between fiscal years 2011 and 2019. In total, the report put the collective cost of operating all of the U.S. military's aircraft fleets at $49 billion in fiscal year 2018, taking operational & support (O&S) costs such as maintenance as well as supply support in account. O&S generally makes up 70 percent of a weapon system's total life cycle costs and it includes spare parts, depot and field maintenance, contract services, engineering support and personnel, amongst other factors.
20 aircraft types experienced an increase in their O&S costs from fiscal year 2011 through 2018, 22 saw a decrease and three remained consistent. At $118 million, the Navy's KC-130T Hercules fleet had the lowest operating cost of all the military's fleets during the above period while the Air Force's KC-135T Stratotankers cost $4.24 billion to keep flying, the most of any aircraft type (primarily due to the fleet's size and age). Alongside those availability rates, the research also provides an interesting list of the cost of keeping some of America's leading combat aircraft operational in fiscal year 2018.
The Air Force's bombers are the most expensive aircraft in the U.S. inventory to keep operational, primarily due to their age and complexity. In fiscal year 2018, for example, the B-2 Spirit had operating costs per aircraft at close to $63 million, a figure that is high due to the extra work rquired to maintain that aircraft's low observability characteristics, such as its stealth coating. By comparison, the nearly 70-year old B-52 costs $25 million to keep mission-capable while the B-1B comes in at $23.7 million per aircraft. The high cost of maintaining stealth aircraft is also evident in the fighter fleet.
America's two most sophisticated combat aircraft - the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II - are also the most expensive fighter jets to maintain at $22 million and $13.4 million per aircraft in fiscal year 2018, respectively. The F-22 is demanding for its maintainers, requiring a three-week packaged maintenance plan for every 300 flight hours. Lessons learned with existing stealth aircraft such as the B-2, F-117 and F-22 were incorporated into the F-35's design to make maintenance easier and the introduction of a computerized program to handle any work that's required is just one example. Nevertheless, the F-35 is still more expensive to maintain than older U.S. fighter aircraft such as the F-15 and F-16 that both cost less than $10 million per year to keep in the air.
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