A new report by the Government Accountability Office details how much it costs to fly 47 different types of aircraft flown by the Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and Army. According to the report here’s how much it costs to fly U.S. fighter jets, by the hour.
A-10 Thunderbolt: $22,531/hour
F-15E Strike Eagle: $33,177/hour
F-16 Fighting Falcon: $26,927/hour
F/A-18E/F Super Hornet: $30,404/hour
F-22 Raptor: $85,325/hour
F-35 Joint Strike Fighter: $41,986/hour
According to the report In general, the more sophisticated the plane the more expensive it is to fly, with age being another factor.
The A-10 Thunderbolt is the cheapest armed fixed-wing plane to fly costing just $22,531 an hour.
An A10 Thunderbolt II assigned to the Air National Guard’s 190th Fighter Squadron, 124th Fighter Wing executes an austere take off on the Freedom Landing Strip, June 5, 2019, at the National Training Center, Fort Irwin, California. The IDANG is participating in Green Flag-West with flying operations at the NTC in support of the 116th Cavalry Brigade Combat Team, headquartered at Boise, Idaho.
Maj Benjamin “Torch” Naumann and Maj Mark “Smack” Smith from the 40th Flight Test Squadron flying the F-15EX Eagle II prepare to fire an AIM-120D missile during a test mission near Eglin Air Force Base, Fla, Jan 25, 2022. The F-15EX can hold up to 12 AIM-120D missiles. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. John Raven)
A 36th Fighter Squadron F-16, known as “#0-780”, launched for the first time in 186 days after being grounded at Osan Air Base, Republic of Korea, July 9, 2020. The aircraft was grounded due to an extensive maintenance repair. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Noah Sudolcan)
An F/A-18 Super Hornet assigned to the Kestrels of the Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 137, lands on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76). Ronald Reagan and the embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 2 are underway conducting carrier qualifications. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Charles D. Gaddis IV/Released)
The F-22 Raptor, the world’s first fifth-generation fighter costs $85,325 an hour to fly.
An F-22 Raptor taxies on the flight line at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, July 9, 2010. The 199th Fighter Squadron of the Hawaii Air National Guard is transitioning from the F-16 and will serve as the only Air National Guard led joint Guard and Active Duty squadron in the Pacific and the second in the U.S. Air Force. The Raptor represents an exponential leap in warfighting capabilities for U.S. forces in the Pacific.
The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter costs $41,986 an hour across all models, including the F-35A for the Air Force, the F-35B for the Marine Corps, and the F-35C for the Marine Corps and Navy.
Pilots, crew chiefs, and maintainers assigned to the 158th Fighter Wing, Vermont Air National Guard prepare to launch F-35A Lightning IIs during a training exercise at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., Jan. 20, 2021. More than 150 airmen from the Vermont Air National Guard are participating in this two week training event to validate and verify weapon systems of the F-35.(U.S. Air National Guard photo by Senior Master Sgt. Michael Davis)
