The Air Force intends to retire 59 aircraft next fiscal year and add 137 new airframes to its inventory in that same span, according to its proposed force structure realignments, released Tuesday. The list of aircraft to be phased out includes: 28 C-130Es, seven C-21As, three C-9Cs, 17 C-5As, two MC-130Es, and two T-43s. The aircraft slated to join the force are: eight C-130Js, 10 C-17s, six C-27Js, one C-37B, three CV-22s, 19 F-22As, 11 F-35As, four MC-130Js, 16 MQ-1s, 29 MQ-9s, five RQ-4Bs, and 25 T-41Ds (for the Air Force Academy). Some of the planned retirements, such as the 17 C-5As, are contingent on Congressional approval stemming from language in Fiscal 2010 defense legislation. (Fiscal 2011 force structure announcement and briefing charts, caution large file)
F-35 Deliveries Resume After a Year on Hold
July 19, 2024
Lockheed Martin began delivering F-35s again on July 19, after a year of building the fighters and putting them directly into storage because their Tech Refresh 3 systems and software were not fully tested.