In this report, the Congressional Budget Office analyzes patterns in the availability and use of aircraft by the U.S. Army from 2000 to 2023. CBO looks at availability—a measure of the percentage of time aircraft can be flown for training or missions—and flying hours, both in total and per aircraft.
Here are CBO’s findings about the fleet’s size, availability, and use:
- Size. As of 2023, the Army had about 3,900 manned aircraft, most of which were helicopters. The service had an additional 700 large unmanned aerial systems (commonly called drones). Since 2000, the number of manned Army aircraft has generally declined.
- Availability. Unlike the Air Force and the Department of the Navy, the Army experienced an upward trend in the availability of its aircraft from 2000 to 2023. In 2023, the Army’s average availability rate for manned aircraft was 68 percent—that is, those aircraft were in the possession of operational squadrons and capable of being flown for missions for 68 percent of total possible hours. Since 2005, availability of H-60 Black Hawk helicopters (the Army’s largest fleet) has generally been increasing.
- Use. The Army used its helicopters more during the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan than at other times over the 2000–2023 period. Total flying hours for manned aircraft peaked in 2008 (at 1.22 million), and average flying hours per aircraft peaked in 2011 (at 302). In 2023, manned aircraft flew for 0.77 million hours, and the average aircraft flew for 198 hours.
- Recent changes. Aircraft availability rates Army-wide increased during the initial months of the coronavirus pandemic, whereas flying hours markedly declined. Both availability and use returned to near-normal levels by early in fiscal year 2021.
