The Air Force needs a steady infusion of as much as $30 billion a year to reverse the decades of neglect that has diminished its readiness, capacity, and capability to dangerously low levels, according to a new report from the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.
Flying hours
Fixing the Air Force’s chronic combat pilot shortage will require more aircraft in the fleet, more flying hours to squadron operations, and retaining more pilots within Reserve components, according to a new paper from AFA’s Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.
The Air Force flying hours program—which has suffered steady declines in recent years to the alarm of observers and lawmakers—will stabilize in the coming years as leaders focus on making sure pilots and aircraft alike can actually fly all the hours that are funded, the ...
Total aircraft inventory; aircraft inventory trends; ICBM and satellite inventory; and aircraft age.
The Air Force’s readiness has hit new lows due to pilot shortages, low flying hours, and aging aircraft, the Heritage Foundation’s 2023 Index of U.S. Military Strength found—leading the conservative think tank to give the service its lowest possible rating of “very weak.” The Space ...
Flying hours decline; Contract Red Air; Tyndall rebuild.
Aging aircraft, limited sustainment funds, and still in-progress modernization are all combining to cause some concerns about readiness gaps in the Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard, leaders said last week during the AFA Warfare Symposium.
The Air Force and Navy are both experiencing declining aircraft availability, a long-term downward trend exemplified by flying fewer hours per aircraft, according to a new report from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The data suggests readiness is worse than what the Defense Department reports. ...
The Heritage Foundation ranked both the Air Force and the Space Force as “weak” in its 2022 Index of U.S. Military Strength released Oct. 20, citing issues ranging from low readiness and misaligned investment in fourth-generation platforms to insufficient space domain awareness and offensive space ...
Flying hours dropped in the Air Force's fiscal 2022 budget request because weapon system sustainment costs ballooned, senior Air Force officials told lawmakers June 22. They said the service would value Congress adding money to the budget to help with weapon system sustainment, which in ...
