A new, congressionally-mandated United States Air Force fighter aircraft plan, one which was first reported by Breaking Defense, calls for the dramatic expansion of the Air Force’s fleet to 1,558 combat-coded jets within a decade. This marks a shift of roughly 300 more over the estimated inventory of 1,271, which was reported for 2026. This unclassified report outlines higher procurement of Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II and Boeing F-15EX Eagle II jets, all while emphasizing the next-generation capabilities of future programs like the F-47.
Other programs, such as the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program, complement, not substitute, manned fighter aircraft. These programs flag industrial capacity, overall budget limits, and the retirement of aging fleets as key…more
Source simpleflying.com
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