MILITARY AVIATION ON THE RISE
T
HE US AIR Force is expanding.
That’s something we haven’t
heard in a generation. Since
the end of the Cold War the
US military, like pretty much
all western air forces, has shed
squadrons and aircraft at an alarming
rate. Recognizing a new era of high-end
threats, as spelled out in a classi ed US
National Defense Strategy, senior military
o cials must react.
While we are unlikely to see the sheer
volume of squadrons that existed back
in the 1970s, the trend of decline has not
only had the handbrake applied but looks
set to be put into reverse. The USAF’s bold
aspirations will increase the number of
ghter squadrons from 55 today to 62 in
2030 — that’s a tall order given the state
and age of the force right now.
The trend is being seen in the UK, where
many predicted a six-squadron ghter
force at best. Three more Euro ghter
Typhoon squadrons are now being
added, although no additional aircraft
are being procured. Maybe the USAF will
need to look at a similar model. The Royal
Air Force is seeking to squeeze more ight
hours and increased service life from its
aircraft with longer intervals between
maintenance. However, the UK ghter
force is comparatively new — when the
Tornado GR4s go in 2019 the oldest game
in town will be 10-year old Typhoons,whereas the USAF relies on 40-year old
Eagles and 30-year old F-16s. The USAF’s
problem is volume — recapitalizing
its eet is a mammoth and nancially
prohibitive undertaking.
It’s why preserving precious hours on
ghters is so important. Contracting
out aggressor training instead of doing
it in-house and taking air supremacy
ghters o benign air policing duties are
essential steps. The USAF needs a two-tier
approach. It cannot meet or a ord its
needs with an all- fth-generation stealthy
ghter force. The USAF is expanding
across all communities: tankers, transport,
remotely piloted air vehicles, and ghters.
It must procure the right tools for the
right jobs, otherwise its plans will be
una ordable and unattainable.
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Editor
E-mail: [email protected]04 November 2018 //^ http://www.combataircraft.net
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