US Air Force Fleet Small, Aging, Losing Edge Over China: Research

The US Air Force’s fleet of aircraft is steadily shrinking and aging, raising concerns as pressure mounts for American airpower to be ready for future wars. Budget cuts, decades of heavy combat use, aircraft losses to retirement, and slow or stalled modernization programs have left the Air Force with a fleet that is smaller and older than it once was. These are problems leaders acknowledge as they confront China’s expanding military and the possibility of conflict. A new report from the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, authored by retired Air Force Col. John Venable and analyst Joshua Baker, traces how…