Congress Mandates Bigger Air Force and Increase to 225 Bombers
Dec. 7, 2020 | By John A. Tirpak
House and Senate Conferees require a larger Air Force in the final version of the fiscal 2021 defense policy bill, directing the service to build the 386 combat squadrons it said it needs to meet the National Defense Strategy, and specifically raising the bomber fleet to 225 aircraft, as USAF leaders and various think-tanks have suggested over the last year.
The 3,580-aircraft fleet constitutes a “moderate risk aviation force structure,†and the Air Force can only reduce the number of extant airplanes if it certifies that some of them have been damaged beyond economical repair, or that increased effectiveness, as certified by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, meets the required level of capability. The new numbers will stand through fiscal 2025.
https://www.airforcemag.com/congress-mandates-bigger-air-force-and-increase-to-225-bombers/
