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As the saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. The U.S. military occasionally takes that idea to an extreme, using some equipment every day that has been around for decades. 

Task & Purpose asked the services to name some of the oldest pieces of equipment they still use to this day. Here’s what we found: 

MEDITERRANEAN SEA (Nov. 17, 2022) Ensign Ryan Ellis uses a protractor to map out the ship’s position in the pilothouse of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Roosevelt (DDG 80), Nov. 17, 2022. Roosevelt is on a scheduled deployment in the U.S. Naval Forces Europe area of operations, employed by U.S. Sixth Fleet to defend U.S., allied and partner interests. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Danielle Baker/Released)
Ensign Ryan Ellis uses a protractor to map out the ship’s position in the pilothouse of the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Roosevelt on Nov. 17, 2022. (Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Danielle Baker/U.S. Navy)

Navy

Analog navigation tools 

Today’s sailors use analog tools like the sextant, paper charts, protractors, and the compass for ocean navigation, some of which even predate the founding of the U.S. Navy, said David L. Clark, a spokesperson for the Navy.

Sailors are taught to use these tools in case digital communications systems, like GPS, go down or get jammed by an enemy.

“The ability of a sailor to go out on the ship’s deck and use visual indicators to understand their location is important,” Clark said. “The use of tools like these is how the U.S. Navy won the Pacific War against Japan.” 

USS Constitution

What is the oldest military equipment still in use today?
USS Constitution saying around the Boston Harbor. (Petty Officer 3rd Class Casey S. Scoular/U.S. Navy)

The USS Constitution is the oldest commissioned warship afloat and one of the Navy’s six original frigates. It was commissioned on Oct. 21, 1797. Made of wood and vaguely pirate-esque, the ship’s construction was authorized by the Naval Act of 1794. 

The Constitution is most known for its actions during the War of 1812 against the United Kingdom where sailors captured merchant ships and defeated five British warships. It earned the nickname “Old Ironsides.”

Following the war, the ship took up various non-combat roles and has remained an active duty ship for over two centuries. The ship’s crew of active duty sailors promotes American naval heritage through educational outreach, public access, and historic demonstrations. It regularly sails around its home port in the Boston Harbor.

Air Force

KC-135 Stratotanker 

KC-135R Stratotanker, serial number 60-0329, arrived at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force on April 30, 2022 to become a part of the museum’s permanent collection at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. The jet was delivered from the 154th Hawaii Air National Guard Wing. In 1967, the crew of this tanker was awarded the MacKay Trophy for the most meritorious flight of the year after it refueled six U.S. Navy aircraft that were dangerously low on fuel. The flight included a brief tri-level refueling two of the Navy aircraft and additional refueling of two Air Force fighters. The Stratotanker will be on display in the museum’s Air Park in July. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Ty Greenlees)
A KC-135R Stratotanker at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force on April 30, 2022 to become a part of the museum’s permanent collection at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. (Ty Greenlees/U.S. Air Force)

The KC-135 Stratotanker is primarily used for aerial refueling support to Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, and allied aircraft. Almost all of its internal fuel can be pumped through the aircraft’s flying boom, with a boom operator stationed in the plane’s rear of the plane during in-flight air refueling. The KC-135 can refuel two receiver aircraft at once.

The Air Force’s oldest KC-135Rs that are still active were delivered and accepted into service inventory in the summer of 1958.

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The Air Force has been working to phase out KC-135s for a generation, first with KC-10s — which themselves will now all be retired by the end of 2024 — and the KC-46 Pegasus. But the Air Force’s fleet of nearly 400 KC-135s remains flying and refueling around the world. 

The Stratotanker can be used for aeromedical evacuations, and carry up to 83,000 pounds of cargo and up to 37 passengers. Each KC-135 costs roughly $39.6 million, versus over $240 million for each KC-46.

B-52 Stratofortress

The B-52 Stratofortress is a long-range, heavy bomber that can be used for both strategic attacks, including carrying nuclear bombs and close-air support for troops in direct combat on the ground.

Though the first B-52s were delivered to the Air Force in the early 1950s, all of the oldest B-52 models have retired. The Air Force only currently flies the B-52H models. Still, they are getting up in the sky. The oldest one actively flying entered the service’s inventory in January 1960, according to Maj. Kaitlin D. Holmes, an Air Force spokesperson.

The bomber can fly up to 50,000 feet and can carry nuclear or precision-guided munitions.

This photo illustrates how the X-15 rocket-powered aircraft was taken aloft under the wing of a B-52. Because of the large fuel consumption, the X-15 was air launched from a B-52 aircraft at 45,000 ft and a speed of about 500 mph. This was one of the early powered flights using a pair of XLR-11 engines (until the XLR-99 became available). The X-15 was a rocket-powered aircraft 50 ft long with a wingspan of 22 ft. It was a missile-shaped vehicle with an unusual wedge-shaped vertical tail, thin stubby wings, and unique fairings that extended along the side of the fuselage. The X-15 weighed about 14,000 lb empty and approximately 34,000 lb at launch. The XLR-99 rocket engine, manufactured by Thiokol Chemical Corp., was pilot controlled and was capable of developing 57,000 lb of rated thrust (actual thrust reportedly climbed to 60,000 lb). North American Aviation built three X-15 aircraft for the program. The X-15 research aircraft was developed to provide in-flight information and data on aerodynamics, structures, flight controls, and the physiological aspects of high-speed, high-altitude flight. A follow-on program used the aircraft as a testbed to carry various scientific experiments beyond the Earth's atmosphere on a repeated basis. For flight in the dense air of the usable atmosphere, the X-15 used conventional aerodynamic controls such as rudder surfaces on the vertical stabilizers to control yaw and canted horizontal surfaces on the tail to control pitch when moving in synchronization or roll when moved differentially. For flight in the thin air outside of the appreciable Earth's atmosphere, the X-15 used a reaction control system. Hydrogen peroxide thrust rockets located on the nose of the aircraft provided pitch and yaw control. Those on the wings provided roll control. Because of the large fuel consumption, the X-15 was air launched from a B-52 aircraft at 45,000 ft and a speed of about 500 mph. Depending on the mission, the rocket engine provided thrust for the first 80 to 120 sec of flight. The remainder of the normal 10 to 11 min. flight was powerless and ended with a 200-mph glide landing. Generally, one of two types of X-15 flight profiles was used: a high-altitude flight plan that called for the pilot to maintain a steep rate of climb, or a speed profile that called for the pilot to push over and maintain a level altitude. The X-15 was flown over a period of nearly 10 years--June 1959 to Oct. 1968--and set the world's unofficial speed and altitude records of 4,520 mph (Mach 6.7) and 354,200 ft (over 67 mi) in a program to investigate all aspects of piloted hypersonic flight. Information gained from the highly successful X-15 program contributed to the development of the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo manned spaceflight programs, and also the Space Shuttle program. The X-15s made a total of 199 flights and were manufactured by North American Aviation. X-15-1, serial number 56-6670, is now located at the National Air and Space Museum, Washington DC. North American X-15A-2, serial number 56-6671, is at the United States Air Force Museum, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. The X-15-3, serial number 56-6672, crashed on 15 November 1967, resulting in the death of Maj. Michael J. Adams. NASA Identifier: NIX-E-4942
A 1959 photo of a B-52 launching an X-15 rocket plane. (NASA)

The first B-52s arrived just after the Korean War and have been used in every U.S. conflict since. B-52s played a significant role in the Vietnam War and more specifically in Operation Linebacker II. B-52 aircrews dropped more than 15,000 tons of bombs on military targets during the operation and “helped force the North Vietnamese back to the peace table,” according to the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force.

During Operation Desert Storm, B-52s delivered 40% of weapons dropped by coalition forces.

The B-52 returned to the Central Command in 2016 for the first time in a decade with nearly 1,800 combat sorties against ISIS forces in Syria and Iraq.

The Air Force expects to operate B-52s through 2050.

Army 

M2 .50-caliber machine gun

Marine Raiders fire the M2 .50-caliber heavy machine gun during a company training event in Jacksonville, N.C., Oct. 1, 2021. The Marine Raiders refined their marksmanship techniques on various weapons systems including sniper rifles, machine guns and grenade launchers prior to conducting team level training. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Brennan Priest)
Marine Raiders fire the M2 .50-caliber heavy machine gun during a company training event in Jacksonville, N.C., Oct. 1, 2021. (Cpl. Brennan Priest/U.S. Marine Corps)

Known among troops as “Ma Deuce,” soldiers have used the M2 .50 caliber rifle since World War II. It’s also seen combat in the Korean War, the Vietnam War, Operation Urgent Fury in Grenada, Operation Just Cause in Panama, the Gulf War, the Battle of Mogadishu, and the Global War on Terror.

The Army is still buying them today. In October, a Nevada company, U.S. Ordnance, was awarded a $16,364,451 contract for M2A2, enough to buy approximately 1,000 of the machine guns.

The modern-day M2 was modeled after John M. Browning’s Model of the M1917 .30-caliber Browning heavy machine gun, a crew-served, belt-fed, water-cooled weapon system that saw use toward the end of the First World War. The munition Browning developed, known as the .50 BMG, entered official service with the Army in 1921 and is still being used today.

After WWI, the M1917 became the standard heavy machine gun of both the Army and the Marine Corps. The gun’s design was modified and refined over the years. In 1933, Colt unveiled the M2 Browning which became the modern-day M2A1 with a quick-change barrel. Today, it’s also used by the Marine Corps.

Canteens

Trench Art (Shell Casings, Canteens, Mess Kits, Souvenirs), World War I, Western Europe. Photographed at U.S. Army Medical Department Museum, Joint Base San Antonio, Fort Sam Houston, TX, 11JUN15. (U.S. Army photo by Francis S. Trachta/Released)
Canteen from World War I, Western Europe. Photographed at U.S. Army Medical Department Museum, Joint Base San Antonio, Fort Sam Houston, Texas. (Francis S. Trachta/U.S. Army)

Another piece of equipment that’s stuck around, while less impressive, it’s still just as useful – the metal canteen.

American soldiers have drunk from essentially unchanged canteens in the French trenches during World War I, at Special Forces camps in Vietnam, and with coalition forces during the invasion of Iraq.

During the American Revolution and early 20th century, soldiers used canteens made of wood and tin. In 1909, the Infantry Equipment Board shifted to containers made from aluminum and steel. In 1962, the M-1961 became the Army standard and was made out of olive drab polyethylene. 

Modern canteens have also been made of hard plastic, but metal ones are still around. 

“The metal canteen cup is intended to hold hot liquids, such as coffee or soup, and can be used to boil liquids. Because of this need to handle heat, the metal cup is still used with the M1961 plastic canteen,” according to a Facebook page titled “Army Water Bottles and Mess Kits Collection.”

Eventually, troops’ need for water on the battlefield led to the creation of the modern-day CamelBak. However troops in Afghanistan and Iraq still sometimes opted for the green, kidney-shaped plastic canteens.

Marine Corps

Ceremonial swords 

The Marine Corps still has two swords from the 19th century in its stock but they are only used for ceremonial purposes these days.

U.S. Marine Corps Col. Speros Koumparakis, commanding officer, Marine Corps Base Hawaii, uses a Mameluke sword to slice a cake during a Marine Corps Birthday ceremony at Kalaheo High School, Kailua, Hawaii, Nov. 17, 2021. The ceremony was held in an effort to share the Marine Corps Birthday tradition and engage with the local community. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Brandon Aultman)
U.S. Marine Corps Col. Speros Koumparakis uses a Mameluke sword to slice a cake during a Marine Corps Birthday ceremony in Hawaii. (Cpl. Brandon Aultman/U.S. Marine Corps)

The Mameluke Sword is the oldest weapon still in use in the U.S. Marine Corps’ arsenal. The Mameluke Sword was originally given to Lt. Presley O’Bannon in 1805 by a Mameluke chieftain in North Africa. O’Bannon and his Marines marched across 600 miles of North African desert to rid the “shores of Tripoli” of pirates and rescue kidnapped crew from the USS Philadelphia. By 1825, all Marine Corps officers carried the sword in recognition of the Marine Corps’ first battle on foreign soil, according to the service.

The NCO Sword, adopted in 1859, is carried by Marine Noncommissioned Officers and Staff Noncommissioned Officers.

Amphibious assault vehicle

Today’s modern-day amphibious assault vehicle can trace its origin to the 1920s and 30s when Marine Corps planners were preparing for a Pacific war against the Japanese empire. 

The Marine Corps took the Alligator, an amphibious rescue vehicle, and developed a more powerful steel-plated military version called the Landing Vehicle Tracked, or LVT. It was originally built in 1941 as an unarmoured cargo carrier but eventually acquired armor. There were two types: an armored amphibious personnel and cargo carrier and a turreted amphibious gun-vehicle for close fire support during landing operations. 

Around 18,620 LVTs were built during World War II. They played a prominent role in the island battles in the Pacific like Guadalcanal.

What is the oldest military equipment still in use today?
U.S. Marines with 2d Assault Amphibian Battalion, 2d Marine Division participate in a range on Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, September 11, 2023. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Ethan Robert Jones)

After several iterations, in 1985 the LVTP-7 was redesignated the AAVP7A1, going from a landing vehicle to an assault vehicle. Despite its amphibious qualities, the AAVP7A1 has been used in land-centric conflicts like the Iraq War. 

The Marine Corps is currently phasing out the AAV with the amphibious combat vehicle. The AAV continues to be used by Marines for ground training while being permanently banned from the water.

“AAVs will only return to operating in the water if needed for crisis response,” Marine Corps spokesman Maj. Jim Stenger said in 2021. 

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Patty Nieberg
Patty Nieberg

Patty is a senior staff writer for Task & Purpose. She has covered the military and national defense for five years, including embedding with the National Guard during Hurricane Florence and covering legal proceedings for a former al Qaeda commander at Guantanamo Bay. Her previous bylines can be found at the Associated Press, Bloomberg Government, Washington Post, The New York Times, and ABC. Contact the author here.