South Dakota's congressional delegation told top Air Force officers Thursday they are worried about shortages of spare parts and maintenance personnel for the B-1 bomber fleet, which has seen its mission capable rate decline over the past few years.

Sens. Tim Johnson and John Thune and Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin met with Lt. Gen. Raymond Johns, deputy chief of staff for Strategic Plans and Programs, and Maj. Gen. Robert McMahon, director of maintenance and deputy chief of staff for logistics, installations and mission support.

Johnson, Thune and Herseth Sandlin cited reports that the B-1 fleet's mission capable rate had dropped from 70.7 percent in 2003 to 61.2 percent in 2007.

The Air Force officers assured the delegation the Air Force is investing in critical capability and structural upgrades that are temporarily driving down availability of the B-1 with the goal of maintaining it for the long term, according to a Johnson spokeswoman. No other details about the Air Force generals' comments were available Thursday evening.

The South Dakota delegation said its request for Thursday's meeting was prompted by two accidents this spring involving B-1s from Ellsworth Air Force Base.

They said in a letter in May to Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne the B-1's performance in Iraq and Afghanistan was outstanding, but heavy combat use put extensive wear and tear on the aircraft, dropping the mission-capable rate and increasing the accident rate, putting the aircraft and crews at risk.

Herseth Sandlin told reporters Thursday morning that she believed the wear and tear on B-1s flying war missions could have contributed to the early April loss of the Ellsworth B-1 in Qatar, which she said caught fire on the ground, apparently after experiencing problems with its hydraulic system.

"It was, from my understanding, something that could have been avoided," she said.

Herseth Sandlin, Thune and Johnson all praised the B-1's role in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"The B-1 is the workhorse of the U.S. Air Force and has played a key role in the global war on terror," said Johnson, chairman of the Senate Military Construction Appropriations Subcommittee. "It's imperative that the B-1 get the maintenance it deserves to continue playing a role in our national defense and that our airmen flying the B-1 are as safe as they can be."

"As the backbone of America's bomber fleet, the B-1 is a vital piece of our national security, and I am confident in the Air Force's plans to improve the status of this premier aircraft," said Thune, ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee's Subcommittee on Readiness.

In February, Ellsworth 28th Bomb Wing Commander Col. Scott Vander Hamm acknowledged the B-1 fleet was aging more rapidly due to the pace of combat operations. He said Ellsworth crews were doing their best to keep up the planes.

On Thursday, Vander Hamm issued the following statement: "Just as our congressional leaders noted, the demands placed on us to support the current fight will continue to be high, but we are continuously evaluating how we respond to those demands and will continue to make every effort to reduce the impact of the operations tempo on our airmen and our weapon system. As an imperative to everything we do at Ellsworth, we take the safety and well-being of our people and their families extremely serious."

The congressional delegation noted the Air Force in 2002 trimmed the number of active B-1s from 92 to 67 aircraft and reduced the number of B-1 bases from five to two. The consolidations were made to ensure adequate resources for future maintenance.

Johnson and Herseth Sandlin, both Democrats, and Thune, a Republican, were joined at Thursday's meeting by Texas Sens. Kay Bailey Hutchison and John Cornyn, and Texas Congressman Randy Neugebauer, all Republicans.

Contact Steve Miller at 394-8417 or steve.miller@rapidcityjournal.com