Equipment Failures Plague B-1 Bombers

Major equipment failures and shortages have grounded up to one-third of the Air Force’s B-1 bombers, leaving the service with no crews trained to use the full capability of the bomber and sharply restricting the number of planes it can put on alert until 1990, according to a new government report.

The equipment breakdowns--far higher than expected--have hampered training and will almost double the bomber’s projected repair bills to more than $895 million, the General Accounting Office said.

The report by the GAO, a congressional investigative agency, provides the most detailed public account yet of how equipment failures have affected the capability and readiness of the $28.3-billion long-range bomber program.

The study comes as the Air Force has engaged in a major publicity effort to rebut earlier disclosures of shortcomings in the plane, a cornerstone of the Reagan Administration’s strategic buildup.

Could Serve in Emergency

Air Force officials said that despite the problems, in the event of a national emergency all of its B-1s could be mission-ready within a few days and all of its crews could fly the planes.

But the equipment and training problems will leave the Air Force unable to meet its criteria of keeping up to 30% of the long-range bombers on alert until 1990--shortly before the stealth bomber is scheduled to become operational, the GAO reported.

The B-1, billed by the Air Force as the most sophisticated and capable bomber in the world, was intended to bridge the technical gap between the aging B-52 bombers and the stealth, or Advanced Technical Bomber.

Only one of the 51 B-1s now in the force is kept on alert, fully ready to fly with minutes’ notice in case of emergency, an Air Force spokesman said.

Air Force officials said keeping more than one plane on alert now would further hinder their ability to repair existing problems and improve crew training. Air Force officials also note that all 100 B-1s are not scheduled to enter the force until next spring.

Spare Parts Shortages

Faulty equipment and spare parts shortages have at times temporarily grounded up to one-third of the bombers, including some planes that were cannibalized to keep other planes flying, according to the survey.

The report said the Air Force, as of March, was requesting about 200 parts a day to replace faulty or worn-out equipment. Backlogs on 60% of those requests have been responsible for grounding the planes, the report said.

The bomber, which officially became operational last fall, has needed five times the number of design changes as expected to correct flaws and improve the plane--162,000 thus far.