America's 21st Century Fighter Gap
By Peter Mitchell
May 27, 2025
Why Golden Dome Exposes the Need for More 5th Generation Aircraft
Golden Dome has captured headlines as America's next-generation missile defense shield in the debates around the FY 2026 defense budget's trillion-dollar price tag. But danger lurks between the headlines. America's fighter fleet – the smallest in modern Air Force history – lacks the numbers needed to both protect the homeland and secure the skies abroad. While no one questions that fighters have a vital role in homeland defense, the trouble is that we simply don't have enough of them. Neither the defense budget nor the $150 billion reconciliation package include plans for multi-year aircraft procurement.
New Threats to the Homeland
Iran's 2024 attacks on Israel delivered a masterclass in modern air defense—and a preview of threats heading our way. When Tehran launched hundreds of drones and cruise missiles, it was primarily fighters – Israeli F-35Is supported by American and Jordanian aircraft – that decimated them over Iraq and Syria before they could reach ground-based defenses. The lesson was unmistakable: fighters are the indispensable first line of any modern air defense system.
The threat to the American homeland from these cheap, hard-to-detect weapons is now enduring, not episodic. From the Atlantic to the Pacific, the potential for attacks on American soil is higher than at any point since the late Cold War. Ground-based defenses like Patriot, THAAD, and Aegis BMD are essential but can’t do it all on their own. The nature of their equipment makes them relatively immobile and limited by terrain and curvature of the earth.
Fighters, by contrast, are highly mobile. They can visually confirm targets, ensuring that no civilian aircraft is accidentally attacked. Fighters can reposition quickly, cover vast areas heedless of terrain, and be aerially refueled to extend their range. A single F-35A can carry over 22,000 lbs of ordnance using its external hardpoints — providing a flying magazine capable of confronting dozens of threats in a single sortie. Future technologies promise even greater effectiveness. Directed-energy weapons could provide a virtually unlimited magazine to counter drone swarms at minimal cost per shot.
https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2025/05/27/americas_21st_century_fighter_gap_1112727.html
