Summary and key points you need to know: The US Air Force (USAF) has an impressive fleet of aircraft, but concerns are growing about its aging capabilities, especially in the face of modern threats such as China. Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall is stressing the urgent need for modernization, not only in aircraft, but also in areas such as electronic warfare and battle management.

– While the USAF still has top-of-the-range fighters like the F-22 and F-35, much of the fleet consists of older models like the F-15 and F-16, which may struggle against modern air defense systems.

-The USAF plans to retire 310 aircraft in fiscal year 2024 to free up resources for newer, more capable systems.

Outdated fleet? The urgent call to modernize the US Air Force

The US Air Force (USAF) has an impressive range of aircraft. From the U-2 Dragon Lady to the A-10 Warthog. The C-130 Hercules and the KC-135 Stratotanker. The F-15 Eagle, F-16 Fighting Falcon, F-22 Raptor. The F-35 Lightning II.

By virtually every measure – quantity, quality, diversity, specialization – the U.S. Air Force has the most impressive and capable aircraft collection in human history.

But despite the USAF’s impressive force strength, there are growing concerns that the fleet is outdated – too old to participate effectively in a modern conflict, especially a war with China.

Does the US Air Force need to upgrade? Or are the calls for modernization just scaremongering?

How much does the US military spend?

Given the size of the existing fleet—and the costs associated with modernization—the idea that the USAF would need to significantly upgrade its fleet is a concern for anyone who keeps an eye on U.S. military spending (or the federal deficit).

The fact is that the United States spends more on defense than any other country in the world. And that’s not even close: the American defense budget has grown to $900 billion a year and is threatening to exceed the trillion dollar mark.

The only country that comes anywhere close to the United States in terms of defense spending – China – spends less than $300 billion a year on defense, or about a third of total U.S. spending. The United States spends about three hundred percent Defense spending is higher than that of its biggest competitor.

Russia, long the biggest bogeyman of US foreign policy, spends less than a tenth of the US defence budget – and is thus third global defense spending.

The United Kingdom, Germany and France – the top, seventh and eighth-ranked countries in the world defense spending rankings – spend less than $200 billion annually. combined.

The point is that the idea that America’s generous defense spending may not have been enough to keep pace with the modern threat landscape is disheartening.

Time to modernize the US Air Force?

“Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall insists the Air Force must modernize quickly to meet the threat from China,” Chris Gordon reported. “But modernization doesn’t just mean fielding new aircraft, Kendall and other Air Force leaders argue – the Air Force must also retire its old planes.”

“The truth is the Air Force needs things like electric warfare, battle management, intelligence, cyber capabilities, all of those things,” Kendall said last year. “It doesn’t just need aircraft.” Kendall said that “as the nature of warfare changes,” systems like electric warfare, battle management, etc. will become increasingly important and will likely compete with “traditional platforms.”

“We need to divest some (traditional platforms) to free up resources to move us forward,” Kendall said. “There has been resistance to that in the past.”

Kendall is primarily pointing to the increasing complexity of air defense systems and the resulting inadequacy of outdated fighter aircraft – such as the F-15 and F-16, which make up the majority of the US Air Force’s fighter fleet – against these air defense systems.

However, air superiority is necessary for the success of much of the US fleet. Otherwise, modern radars, modern SAMs and modern air superiority fighters could take out the US fourth-generation fighters (and of course the support aircraft).

What the US needs are aircraft that can operate against sophisticated air defense systems. That means stealth aircraft that can go undetected. And it needs aircraft with radar and missile systems that are advanced enough to stand up to fifth-generation fighters.

The USA does have aircraft that meet the above description. The F-22 Raptor is still the world’s leading air superiority fighter. And the F-35 is the world’s leading fighter in terms of radar, data fusion, situational awareness and interconnectivity. But legacy equipment still makes up the majority of the U.S. fleet – a force composition that U.S. war planners are beginning to grapple with.

“In fiscal year 2024, the Air Force plans to retire 310 aircraft, including more A-10s and E-3s and 32 older F-22s,” Gordon wrote.

“I know it’s difficult, especially locally, to dispose of aircraft,” Kendall said, citing lawmakers’ reluctance to retire aircraft, thereby taking jobs and resources away from local citizens.

“If possible, Kendall said, the Air Force wants to replace retired aircraft with similar systems, such as replacing an aging fighter unit with new fighter aircraft,” Gordon wrote. “If not, Kendall said, the Air Force wants to convince lawmakers that a new unit is something with ‘longevity.'”

“These are operational problems that we need to solve in order to effectively address the threat that is emerging and spreading quite quickly,” Kendall said. “China is not wasting any time.”

About the author: Harrison Kass

Harrison Kass is a defense and national security writer who has written over 1,000 articles on world affairs. Harrison is a lawyer, pilot, guitarist, and part-time professional hockey player. He joined the U.S. Air Force as a student pilot but was medically discharged. Harrison holds a BA from Lake Forest College, a JD from the University of Oregon, and an MA from New York University. Harrison listens to Dokken.

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