[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 49 (Wednesday, April 17, 1996)]
[House]
[Pages H3560-H3561]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        MILITARY AIRCRAFT SAFETY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from California [Mr. Hunter] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. HUNTER. Mr. Speaker, yesterday I convened a panel of the 
procurement subcommittee of the Committee on National Security to 
investigate the series of tragic mishaps with respect to F-14 crashed 
and Aviate B Harrier Marine Corps fighter aircraft crashes that have 
occurred since the beginning of the year, and, Mr. Speaker, it is very 
clear to us and to my friend, Mr. Dornan. who has quite a bit of time 
in an Air Force cockpit, and my good friend, Mr. Cunningham, my 
seatmate from San Diego, that it is dangerous to be a pilot in the U.S. 
Air Force, the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Marine Corps; it is more dangerous 
to be a pilot when you have a government that will not pay the money 
that has to be paid to make that aircraft as safe as it can possibly be 
made.
  The testimony from the U.S. Marine Corps yesterday was that Harriers 
are tough aircraft to fly. Almost one-third of the entire Harrier air 
inventory, aircraft inventory, has crashed since its inception, and we 
have had three tragic crashes this year of these Harrier Jumpjets. The 
Marine Corps told us yesterday that we could make that plane 50 percent 
more safe than it is right now, and we do that by remanufacturing the 
aircraft and adding safety features. They told us that the Clinton 
administration has decided not to make 24 of those aircraft as safe as 
they can be, and when we asked why, we were told because of budgetary 
constraints.
  So, Mr. Speaker, for the first time, we are seeing the Clinton 
defense budget come apart at the seams. We are seeing a defense budget 
which is costing us; it has been cut so drastically. by 72 percent in 
the area of modernization, that we are not able to make these aircraft, 
these Harrier aircraft, as safe as they can be for Marine pilots.
  Well, Mr. Speaker, the Republicans are coming to their rescue. I have 
talked with the chairman of the full committee, our good friend, Floyd 
Spence,  and he concurs that we will fix all 24 of those aircraft that 
right now the Clinton administration does not plan to upgrade with 
safety upgrades so that the pilots will be more secure than they are 
flying the aircraft right now.
  So I want to announce, as the chairman of the procurement 
subcommittee, that the Republican markup will reflect upgrades, it will 
cost about $26 million per plane for all 24 of the Harrier aircraft 
that the Clinton administration has decided, in their infinite wisdom, 
not to fund.
  Additionally, on the F-14, and an F-14 crashed today, the Republicans 
are going to be adding about $83 million for several items that will 
make that aircraft safer. We are going to come up with a digital flight 
control system; we are going to install that. We are also going to come 
up with a system that indicates when the engine is getting overloaded 
and will advise people in the cockpit that they have to take action 
fairly quickly. Those are two safety upgrades that we will be funding 
in the procurement subcommittee for the F-14.
  So, Mr. Speaker, the Republicans are riding to the rescue in national 
defense, and Mr. Perry, Secretary Perry, has come down to the House 
Armed Services Committee and told us that everything is fine with 
defense. These massive cuts that the Clinton administration has been 
making according to Dr. Perry have not harmed national defense at all.
  Well, Mr. Speaker, the Clinton defense budget is coming apart at the 
seams, and these recent crashes and 

[[Page H3561]]

the lack of initiative on the part of the Clinton administration to 
make these planes as safe as they can be is only the tip of the 
iceberg, but the Republicans are going to fix these aircraft. We are 
going to be making these Harriers as safe as they can possibly be, and 
we will be funding upgrades to the F-14's to make them as safe as they 
can be.

  I am happy to yield to my friend.
  Mr. DORNAN. I flew the Harrier for the fourth time last August 8. 
Outstanding pilots down at Cherry Point and also at Yuma. It is a 
unique aircraft. It has stolen the show at every air show for over 2\1/
2\ decades. But it is a difficult airplane to fly. And I will join in 
this fight, and I can guarantee you we will prevail.
  I did not know an F-14 crashed today. Where did that happen?
  Mr. HUNTER. That happened on the East Coast, I think at Oceana.
  Mr. DORNAN. Right. Well, we will do the best we can.
  Mr. HUNTER. That was an F-14B model crashed today.
  Mr. DORNAN. Right. If we were in Israel, there would be no question 
that their first line of defense would get what they needed to be safe.

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