The Air Force destroys plane story is a controversy that is running amok the Internet and making headlines after it was revealed that the U.S. armed service scrapped 16 cargo planes worth $500 million for just $32,000.
Because of the Air Force destroys planes story, the nation's armed service that is responsible in conducting military operations in the air is currently under investigation, according to Daily Mail.
The government's watchdog agency has already asked the Air Force to explain why it destroyed the expensive aircraft it bought for the Afghan force and scrap them for $32,000 instead of finding other favorable means of salvaging the aircraft so as not to waste funds from "taxpayers' dollars."
Special inspector for the Afghanistan reconstruction John Sopko has asked Air Force Secretary Deborah James for an explanation by documenting all decisions made by the service with regards to the destruction of the 16 cargo planes.
The 16 C-27J aircraft were reportedly stored at Kabul International Airport for years, reports Reuters.
There are four more planes that are currently in Germany, but the Air Force has not yet decided on what's the best way to do with them.
"I am concerned that the officials responsible for planning and executing the scrapping of the planes may not have considered other possible alternatives in order to salvage taxpayer dollars." Sopko said in a letter released Thursday by his office.
Apart from asking why the Air Force destroyed the planes, Sopko is also investigating whether any other parts of the aircraft had been sold before they were scrapped and destroyed by the Defense Logistics Agency.
The investigation on the controversy started in December 2013 after several non-profit groups and military officials questioned the funds that were wasted on the planes.
It can be noted that the U.S. government has spent $468 million to purchase and refurbish 20 older C-27A airplanes from Alenia, a unit of Italy's Finmeccananica SpA.
However, the fleet was grounded in March 2013 "after sustained, serious performance, maintenance, and spare parts problems" were discovered as per the statement from the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, noted Washington Times.
After sitting unused for a long time on the tarmac at Kabul International Airport, the Afghan military reportedly decided to scrap 16 plans and sell them for roughly 6 cents per pound.
In a 2013 interview with NBC News, Sopko notably said that it's unclear whether the Air Force destroys planes story was criminal fraud or mismanagement.
The Pentagon's inspector has also investigated the issue which is now regarded as "a shining example of the billions wasted in Afghanistan."
The planes were said to have flown for only 234 of the 4,500 required hours from January through September 2012. Apart from this, it was also found out that nearly $200 million was needed to purchase spare parts for the aircraft.
The embattled armed service has not commented on the Air Force destroys planes story as of late.
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