U.S. military leaders love their rotorcraft. During combat operations in Southwest Asia over the last three years and in activities elsewhere, helicopters have been able to move troops and supplies faster and more precisely than ground vehicles or fixed-wing aircraft, in many cases to places that those other transport options could not reach. One flag officer after another has said that many of the combat successes achieved since U.S. forces launched Operation Anaconda in the mountains of Afghanistan in March 2002 would not have been possible without the support that U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force helicopters provided. Yet in the next breath, these same general officers warn that these precious aircraft are simply too expensive to operate and that ways must be found soon to get those operating costs under control. In their defense, the U.S. military rotorcraft are being run ragged. Flight rates are 2-3 times or greater the levels anticipated by operational and budget planners before 2001. That naturally increases consumption of spares and failure rates. (To their credit, the services' maintainers have been performing magic in achieving the availability rates that they have for some helicopters.)
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