Air Force probed over scrapping of aircraft

The Pentagon IG is investigating the Air Force for potentially criminal fraud over the scrapping of C-27 Spartans meant for the Afghani Air Force. The Defense Department spent $486M on 20 C-27s for the Afghan military, that they later proved unable to maintain. From January to September of 2012, the aircraft flew a total of 234 hours of 4500 required. After the program was canceled, 16 of the aircraft were scrapped for a mere $0.06 on the pound, for a total of $32,000.

A number of parts weren't scrapped, such as engines, and some brass components, which the SIGAR wants to know the fate of. The remaining four aircraft are in Germany. The SIGAR has requested advance notice before the aircraft are moved or scrapped.

After spending nearly half a billion dollars on 20 planes to outfit the Afghan Air Force, the Defense Department turned around and scrapped 16 of the aircraft for 6 cents on the pound—just $32,000, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction has learned.

The Defense Logistics Agency carried out the planes’ destruction at Kabul International Airport as the SIGAR was investigating the Defense Department’s failed program to outfit the Afghans with a fleet of twin propeller military transport aircraft. The G222 aircraft, manufactured in Italy, proved impossible for the Afghan military to maintain and the Pentagon terminated the program in March 2013, three months after the SIGAR initiated its investigation. By then, the department had spent at least $486 million on the aircraft.

www.defenseone.com...

I suppose 1/2 Billion is a drop in the bucket when you are Trillions in debt but .........

I am damn sure that the Education sector could have made good use of the money.

Scrapping brand new aircraft?

Didn't anyone think, Hey! We could sell those!

Someone made a great deal of money and I would love to bet, they were not actually scrapped.

This is just so dumb.

Thanks Zaphod S&F as usual

P

a reply to: pheonix358

They weren't brand new, they were refurbished 30 year old aircraft that had been stored for several years in Italy. They flew with the Italian Air Force before being retired from their service and stored. Alenia refurbished them, which basically rebuilt them into aircraft that could fly a number of years.

a reply to: Zaphod58

Oh, OK thanks for the info.

Still, couldn't the refurbished aircraft have been sold to someone.

I would have thought African countries may have loved them. Then at some future date the US Airforce could have shot them all down when they decided that they didn't like that country.

24 Million each? For refurbishment. Wow. Three of those and India could go to Mars again.

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a reply to: pheonix358

That's why the Special IG is investigating the matter. They should have sold them to someone and gotten at least some of the money back from them.

Or given them to another governmental agency which would like them such as the USCG who already operates the type or the Forrest Service which wanted the C-27J's the USCG got.

a reply to: _Del_

For some reason this reminds me.

Great footage if you haven't seen it yet.

originally posted by: aholic
a reply to: _Del_

For some reason this reminds me.

Great footage if you haven't seen it yet.

Now I'm curious. The link you provided doesn't work.

But I will use my psychic powers and deduce that you linked "The Pentagon Wars"?

originally posted by: aholic
a reply to: _Del_

For some reason this reminds me.

Great footage if you haven't seen it yet.

That should work for you

P

a reply to: Zaphod58
Maybe a case of "creative" accounting to fund other things?

Buy high, sell low.... No, wait.. think I got that backwards.

a reply to: TDawgRex

Lol I was thinking the exact same thing haha

$486 million is not a lot for an organization like the US military, a lot more has been spent on bombs and missiles that no longer exist either. What I do find more troubling is the lake of commitment, organization and planning towards the rebuilding of Afghanistan. To expect such a war torn nation to be ready and independently capable for aircraft maintenance in a short period of time is unrealistic, it takes years for trade skills and resources to develop.

Overall, just another sad and sorry waste...

Why didn't they just give them to some local police dept's with specialized units.

I imagine that Miami-Dade Metro could of used them to fly out their search and rescue dogs unit to earthquake zones.

Isn't that what they do with surplus military vehicles now anyways?

I first read about this investigation a few months ago. Also part of the same wider ranging investigation I read about on the same report I saw way back, RT report:

In June, despite Afghanistan being a landlocked country, a US government watchdog found that the Pentagon spent more than $3 million obtaining eight patrol boats that were never used. Additionally, the cost of each boat turned out to be about $375,000 – far more than the $50,000 they usually sell for in the US.

rt.com...

My personal opinion, given the location and the cash crop that has been thriving since the US led invasion, this sounds like a big money laundering operation. It sure goes beyond a bit of simple overcharging for stuff and looks like well organized crime involving military spending. I wonder who was in charge of all the sign off?

a reply to: grey580

That's actually one of the things they were supposed to have considered. The Coast Guard, the Forest Service, police departments, any of them could have used them. There are foreign countries interested as well. Australia wanted to buy the C-27Js that the Air Force just got rid of IIRC. These aircraft, despite problems being found during refurbishment, were guaranteed for 10,000 hours.

They could, you know, give me one of them. I promise I'd take good care of it!

In all seriousness, what would a police department need a jet like that?!

EDIT: Ah, it's a cargo plane. Never mind, they can keep it. Also, it might be a nice fire fighting plane...

a reply to: MystikMushroom

Police could use one or two for moving Search and Rescue teams around, like Miami Dade County, with their dogs.

a reply to: Zaphod58

They must have a lot of dogs...

I could see it being a good smoke jumper platform. Can those birds be used to parachute out of?

a reply to: MystikMushroom

Easily. It's not that they have a lot of dogs, it's that they have a lot of equipment to move with the dogs. Miami Dade County is a world renowned SAR team that is asked to help at a lot of locations.

a reply to: Zaphod58

kind of reminds me....



funny how military economics work out?