The U.S. Air Force had its safest flying year in its history, with only 17 Class A (costing a million dollars or more) accidents (and eight destroyed aircraft) in 2009 (which ended in September.) The next safest year was 2006, with 19 accidents (and eight destroyed aircraft). Last year there were fifteen destroyed aircraft. The air force attributes this improved safety record to more crew training, and insisting that crews operate by the book and adhere to procedures. This includes pre-flight planning as well as when in the air.

The B-52 Stratofortress has one of the lowest accident rates (less than 1.5 per 100,000 flying hours). The more recent heavy bomber, the Lancer B-1, has a rate of 3.48. Thus the B-52, despite its age, was the cheapest, safest and most reliable way to deliver smart bombs.

New aircraft always have higher accident rates, which is how many hidden (from the design engineers and test pilots) flaws and technical problems. The F-22 Raptor is expected to eventually have an accident rate of 2-3 per 100,000 flight hours. Combat aircraft are becoming more reliable, even as they become more complex. For example, in the early 1950s, the F-89 fighter had 383 accidents per 100,000 flying hours. A decade later, the rate was in the 20s for a new generation of aircraft. At the time, the F-4, which served into the 1990s, had a rate of under 5 per 100,000 hours.

Unmanned aircraft have a much higher rate, which is largely the result of not having a pilot on board. The RQ-1 Predator has an accident rate of about 30 per 100,000 hours. Older model UAVs had much higher rates (up to 363 for the RQ-2A).