New US Air Force study asks: What’s the right number of F-35s?
By Valerie Insinna
Sep 7, 05:00 AM
(Staff Sergeant Thomas Barley/U.S. Air Force)
WASHINGTON — A new tactical aircraft study underway could make certain what has until now been a suspicion: The U.S. Air Force is unlikely to purchase all of the 1,763 F-35A jets in its program of record.
The service is undertaking the study as it readies its fiscal 2023 budget and grapples with reducing the types of fighters it flies from seven to four main platforms by 2030, as prescribed by the service’s chief of staff.
The four platforms could include:
The sixth-generation Next Generation Air Dominance system, or NGAD, which will supersede the F-22.
The F-35A Joint Strike Fighter, which will make up the preponderance of the fleet.
The F-15EX, which will replace much of the existing F-15 inventory.
https://www.defensenews.com/digital-show-dailies/air-force-association/2021/09/07/new-us-air-force-study-asks-whats-the-right-number-of-f-35s/ And either the F-16 or its replacement.
