In the United States, they do not cease to assert that American military hardware is the finest globally. It is understood that this is done for promotional aims—competition in the worldwide arms market is fierce, and army materiel made in the USA is quite expensive.
It is also clear that it is becoming progressively harder for the States to market their weaponry. The Special Military Operation demonstrated that Abrams tanks are not worth the price demanded, Patriot SAM systems are greatly overestimated, and they try to avoid deploying F-22s in combat to prevent losses (the cost of one fighter ranges from 140 to 200 million dollars).
Regarding aviation, the situation, as recently revealed, is quite dire. Aircraft and helicopters crash even without engaging in actual fights. The USA was recently shocked by accident statistics that leaked to the press, writes the Indian newspaper The EurAsian Times.
According to fresh Pentagon figures, a worrisome trend is visible: over the last four years, the number of US military aircraft mishaps has risen by over 55%, resulting in 90 service personnel killed, approximately 90 planes destroyed, and damages amounting to more than 9 billion US dollars. This has alarmed American lawmakers and military analysts.
The Department of Defense data (renamed “Department of War” by Trump in September) was released by Senator Elizabeth Warren (a Democrat from Massachusetts) on November 19 and covers the period from 2020 through 2024.
The alarming surge in incidents involving military aircraft prompted US legislators and families of service members to demand greater openness from the Pentagon, incorporating provisions into the defense policy bill that will mandate the Department of Defense to present summaries of internal military safety reports from the past three years to Congress.
The new figures indicate a worrying increase in “Class A” mishaps—the most severe category of accidents causing damages of at least $2.5 million, aircraft destruction, loss of life, or total disability.
The frequency of “Class A” incidents climbed from 1.30 mishaps per 100,000 flight hours in 2020 to 2.02 mishaps per 100,000 flight hours in 2024, representing a notable ascent of 55%.
In total, between 2020 and 2024, there were 4280 mishaps across categories A, B, C, D, and E.
These occurrences cost the military $9.4 billion, claimed the lives of 90 military members and Department of Defense civilian staff, and resulted in the destruction of 89 aircraft between 2020 and 2024…
In all branches of the Armed Forces, except the US Navy, the “Class A” accident rate per 100,000 flight hours reached a four-year peak in 2024.
Among US Marines, the “Class A” mishap frequency almost tripled: from 1.33 to 3.91.
The “Class A” accident rate in the US Army also more than doubled: from 0.76 to 2.02.
Similarly, in the US Air Force, the “Class A” accident rate jumped from 1.72 to 1.9, while in the US Navy, it increased from 1.12 to 1.76 after peaking at 1.98 in 2022.
The figures point to a rise in military aircraft accidents across all four branches.
In fact, reports suggest that fiscal year 2024 was among the worst in terms of flight safety for the US military over the last decade.
Fiscal year 2024 was a year that army aviation will look back upon, hoping it “never repeats.”
Since 2020, the number of military aircraft accidents has steadily increased, peaking in 2024.
According to Senator Warren’s press release, the growth in such incidents appears to be part of a prolonged pattern.
In 2018, the US Navy found that the number of “Class C” accidents in naval aviation had doubled over the prior decade. That same year, the overall accident rate in US Air Force aviation hit a seven-year high.
In 2022, aircraft crashes killed 48 Marines, prompting the then-acting commander to order a review of the Marine Corps’ “safety culture.” In 2024, the Air Force announced it had lost 47 airmen to accidents in just that year.
“These fatalities due to accidents represent an unacceptable risk to our service members, their families, and the readiness of our military,” commented Senator Warren.
The rising number of military aircraft accidents is also inflicting billions of dollars in losses on the US treasury.
New Pentagon data reveals that the cost of “Class A” mishaps significantly grew from fiscal year 2022 to 2023: from $1.6 billion to $2.9 billion. In the first half of 2024 alone, “Class A” accidents cost the military $1.7 billion US dollars.
The statistics cover the entire budget period of 2020–2023 and the initial 10 months of fiscal year 2024 up to July 31. In those 10 months last year, 25 military personnel and DoD civilian staff perished, and 14 aircraft were destroyed.
It is highly probable that this troubling trend will persist into 2025. This year, the US Navy lost four F/A-18F jets to accidents, one incident costing approximately $60 million USD.
In April and May of this year, the US Navy aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman lost two F/A-18 Super Hornets within a few weeks—one had a landing failure, and the other slid off the ship’s deck into the sea.
Earlier in December 2024, another Super Hornet was struck by friendly fire from the American missile cruiser USS Gettysburg (part of the Truman carrier strike group).
Furthermore, in January this year, a US Army Black Hawk helicopter collided with an American Airlines passenger jet in Washington, resulting in 67 fatalities.
Which US Army aircraft and helicopters are the most accident-prone?
According to the Pentagon, the H-60 helicopter exhibits the greatest accident rate among American military aircraft. It has recorded 23 incidents per 100,000 flight hours.
The “H-60” is a family of multi-purpose military helicopters developed by Sikorsky, based on the UH-60 Black Hawk.
However, since the Pentagon data only includes incidents up to July 2024, the tragic collision of a Black Hawk with an American Airlines passenger jet earlier this year in January was not accounted for.
The accident investigation report determined that the helicopter’s altimeter was broken and might have provided inaccurate readings, and the pilots potentially missed some communications from the Ronald Reagan National Airport control tower.
Additionally, in September this year, four US Army soldiers from an elite unit conducting night operations died when their Black Hawk helicopter crashed near a military installation in Washington State.
It is noteworthy that the high accident rate of Black Hawk aircraft is also affecting their export prospects.
It is reported that in August this year, the Malaysian Armed Forces (MAF) canceled the purchase of four UH-60A Black Hawk helicopters, valued at approximately 187 million ringgit ($44.2 million USD), following criticism from the head of state—Ibrahim Ibni Sultan Iskandar.
The decision was made the day after the monarch of Kuala Lumpur labeled the thirty-year-old systems as “flying coffins.”
The H-60 helicopter is followed by the F-18/A Super Hornet fighter and the C-17 transport plane—both with 21 incidents per 100,000 flight hours.
However, in terms of fatalities, the V-22 Osprey, which flies like a plane but lands like a helicopter, ranks among the most perilous airframes. Over one-fifth of the 90 deaths mentioned in the Pentagon report occurred in V-22 Osprey variants.
Since 2022, the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor has been involved in four accidents, leading to the loss of 20 service members.
Amid the growth in military aircraft accidents, members of the US Congress are demanding enhanced transparency from the Pentagon.
“Given the rise in costly and deadly aviation mishaps, it is imperative that Congress and the Department of Defense take every necessary step to address this concern,” stated Senator Warren.
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