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.
15. T-34C Turbomentor Training Aircraft
> Est. unit cost in 2022: $1.1 million
> US Navy inventory: 13
> Aircraft’s primary function: Pilot proficiency, low safe mission, and other aircraft support services for the fleet
> Primary contractor(s): Raytheon Aircraft Company
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14. UC-12 Huron Logistics Aircraft
> Est. unit cost in 2022: $6.9 million
> US Navy inventory: 13
> Aircraft’s primary function: Light passenger and cargo airlift
> Primary contractor(s): Raytheon Aircraft Company
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13. T-45C Goshawk Training Aircraft
> Est. unit cost in 2022: $18.5 million
> US Navy inventory: 191
> Aircraft’s primary function: Training platform for Navy/Marine Corps pilots
> Primary contractor(s): The Boeing Company
12. F-16A/B Fighting Falcon Fighter
> Est. unit cost in 2022: $26.7 million
> US Navy inventory: 14
> Aircraft’s primary function: Adversary fighter
> Primary contractor(s): General Dynamics Corp., and Lockheed Martin
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11. F/A-18 A-D Hornet
> Est. unit cost in 2022: $32.9 million
> US Navy inventory: 68
> Aircraft’s primary function: Multi-role attack and fighter aircraft
> Primary contractor(s): The Boeing Company
10. C-20 Gulfstream Logistics Aircraft
> Est. unit cost in 2022: $42.6 million
> US Navy inventory: 3
> Aircraft’s primary function: Worldwide passenger and cargo airlift
> Primary contractor(s): Gulfstream Aerospace and M7 Aerospace
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9. C-2A Greyhound Logistics Aircraft
> Est. unit cost in 2022: $43.4 million
> US Navy inventory: 33
> Aircraft’s primary function: Carrier On-board Delivery (COD) aircraft
> Primary contractor(s): Northrop Grumman
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8. EA-18G Growler Airborne Electronic Attack Aircraft
> Est. unit cost in 2022: $72.8 million
> US Navy inventory: 153
> Aircraft’s primary function: Airborne Electronic Attack
> Primary contractor(s): The Boeing Company
7. UC-35 Citation
> Est. unit cost in 2022: $73.4 million
> US Navy inventory: 0
> Aircraft’s primary function: Passenger and cargo airlift
> Primary contractor(s): DynCorps; Valair and Pratt & Whitney.
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6. C-37A (Gulfstream V) and C/NC-37B (Gulfstream 550)
> Est. unit cost in 2022: $73.6 million
> US Navy inventory: 0
> Aircraft’s primary function: Passenger transport
> Primary contractor(s): CLS – Gulfstream
5. F/A-18E/F Super Hornet
> Est. unit cost in 2022: $76.4 million
> US Navy inventory: 566
> Aircraft’s primary function: Multi-role attack and fighter aircraft.
> Primary contractor(s): The Boeing Company
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4. E-2 Hawkeye Airborne Command and Control Aircraft
> Est. unit cost in 2022: $86.9 million
> US Navy inventory: 97
> Aircraft’s primary function: Airborne Command and Control, Battle Space Management
> Primary contractor(s): Northrop Grumman
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3. C-130 Hercules Military Transport Aircraft
> Est. unit cost in 2022: $89.4 million
> US Navy inventory: 28
> Aircraft’s primary function: Aerial refueling, tactical passenger and cargo airlift
> Primary contractor(s): Lockheed Martin
2. F-35C Lightning II
> Est. unit cost in 2022: $102.6 million
> US Navy inventory: 26
> Aircraft’s primary function: Multirole: ground attack, air superiority
> Primary contractor(s): Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and BAE Systems
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1. E-6B Mercury Airborne Command Post
> Est. unit cost in 2022: $153.9 million
> US Navy inventory: 16
> Aircraft’s primary function: Communications relay for fleet ballistic missile submarines (A and B models) and airborne command post for U.S. Strategic forces (B model)
> Primary contractor(s): The Boeing Company
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