The US Navy’s 15 Most Expensive Planes

The budget request for the Department of Defense in 2024 came to $842 billion, equal to the previous year’s massive budget. This level of expenditure ensures the United States’ dominant position as the world’s leading defense spender. Recent data from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute reveals that American military spending surpasses the combined expenditures of the subsequent nine countries.

Among the branches of the military set to receive a share of these funds, the U.S. Navy’s air fleet stands out. Considering the aircraft already within the Navy’s possession, the cost of introducing new aircraft is notably high.

To identify the most expensive aircraft in the U.S. Navy, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed Department of Defense data on the unit price of aircraft. To adjust prices from the year listed to current values, we used the CPI inflation calculator from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. We only listed the 15 aircraft with unit prices above $1 million, considering only fixed wing aircraft, excluding drones and uncrewed vehicles, for which unit cost estimates were available on the U.S. Navy website. 

Inventory of each aircraft in the World Air Forces report from FlightGlobal, an aviation news and data company. Information on aircraft function and contractors are also from the U.S. Navy. Also check out: the slowest planes in the US military. 

The most expensive aircraft in the Navy’s fleet is the E-6B Mercury Airborne Command Post. It has an estimated unit cost of $153.9 million. The aircraft is used primarily as a strategic communications center to pass information along to the Navy’s nuclear-powered submarines. The Navy also employs warships.

Following the E-6B, the F-35C Lightning II comes in at a cost of $102.6 million. Its primary roles are ground missions and providing air superiority. The aircraft is also the first radar-evading stealth plane that can be launched from a carrier deck, per the Navy.

Rounding out the top three is the $89.4 million C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft. As its name suggests, it is used for passenger and cargo transport and aerial refueling. The Navy describes the medium-sized aircraft as providing “the last logistic mile” to support forward deployed Naval forces. These are the most mass-produced planes of World War II. 

Click here to see the most expensive planes made for the US Navy.

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