Modernization Problems Plague US Air Force

Spending too much, not reaching goals, and now ordered to cut spending, the US Air Force has received this disheartening diagnosis in a recent congressional report.

A detailed analysis of the current state of the USAF and its future prospects gives the impression that America’s military aviation arm is soon to face some very serious financial challenges that may play a decisive role in the global military balance for the first half of the 21st century.

Financial problems will culminate after 2020, when a number of ambitious USAF modernization projects, including a new long range bomber, a new combat rescue helicopter, a replacement for the presidential aircraft, a new T-X trainer aircraft along with an upgraded Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System are to come to the procurement stage simultaneously, forcing the Air Force to choose between projects in a sharply limited budget.

.@usairforce F-35's will perform a fourship formation flyover at the #LMAFB: https://t.co/wwAziaOPxN pic.twitter.com/WisJ6BsG3f

— Lockheed Martin (@LockheedMartin) December 16, 2015

“With F-35A [fighter] and KC-46 [tanker] slated to continue for many years…, procurement spending on established programs will continue to be substantial. How will the future Air Force procurement budget accommodate the new programs as well?” the author of the research asks.

The question remains unanswered.