The Air Force will not be able to afford a combat force after 2021 if no changes are made to the current budget. This is the latest Pentagon estimate that has analyzed the level of combat air forces within the next 30 years.
It emerges that the Air Force is forced to withdraw more and more aircraft from service due to the end of their life cycle at a pace not compatible with the current acquisition program. This means that the fighter force will begin to erode its capabilities starting in 2021, hitting an all-time low since its creation in 2031. Congress last year ordered the Air Force to maintain an air force (including inventory) of 1900 hunting. An impossible requirement for the Air Force that does not have the funds to maintain and replace a combat air force of this size. The Air Force currently has 1.971 attack aircraft including A-10, F-15, F-16, F-22 and F-35A.
The official document reads: “The Air Force has insufficient resources to maintain a fighter air force of 1900 aircraft between 2017 and 2021. Based on current resources, aircraft decommissioning far exceeds supply. This will substantially collapse the total number of our squadrons between 2022 and 2026. Stocks will continue to decline until they reach the lowest level in Air Force history in 2031. Over the next ten years, the Air Force will continue to modernize the F-22 to deal with new air-to-air threats. The Air Force plans to procure 243 F-35As between 2017 and 2021. Current plans include the retirement of the A-10 between 2018 and 2022. The retirement of the A-10 is subject to change. The Air Force will also have to upgrade and extend the life of the F-15s and F-16s in order to meet capacity needs while continuing to modernize the fleet with fifth generation fighters. "
