As Air Force Shrinks, Officials Look For New Ways to Amass Firepower
Valerie Insinna, Defense News 6:04 a.m. EDT July 10, 2016
Gremlins
WASHINGTON — The Air Force’s current fleet of aircraft is the smallest and oldest it has ever been, and although a plethora of acquisition programs are slated to update it with new capabilities, service officials are concerned about its ability to control the skies and strike targets at will.
The service is banking on future technologies that can bring additional firepower to the battlefield without having to buy new aircraft, relying instead on unmanned aerial systems (UAS), modified legacy planes and advanced weaponry.
“Warfare is still about amassing firepower at a time and place in space, whether it’s in the air or on the ground,” outgoing Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh told Defense News in June ahead of his retirement later that month. “And amassing firepower means you need weapons, you need precision, and you need the ability to target.”
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