Lawmakers are criticizing the Defense Department over its delays in turning over some excess airplanes to fight forest fires. Six years ago, Congress directed the Pentagon to cull its fleet for aircraft that could be converted to air tankers.
But the first replacement has yet to arrive.
The average age of the 32 firefighting air tankers with manufacturing dates on file with the Federal Aviation Administration is 47 years.
A Pentagon supply systems analyst, Debra Bennett, says the military hasn´t had any excess aircraft since 1996.
This post was last modified on 01/31/2009 5:32 pm