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US Air Force plan to retire 1,000 aircraft leads Congress to raise national security concerns

16th April 2024 - 15:49 GMT | by Flavia Camargos Pereira in Kansas City

RSS

Part of the A-10 Thunderbolt II is expected to be phased out. (Photo: US Air Force)

The US Air Force has planned to retire more than 1,000 helicopters and AEW&C, combat, ISR, transport and training aircraft that have been in service for more than 30 years.

The US Air Force’s (USAF) plan to phase out more than 1,000 aircraft over the coming five years has become a cause of concern for the US Senate. Although the branch intended to replace part of its ageing inventory with new platforms, it cut $2 billion in procurement programmes in its FY2025 budget request.

During a recent hearing at the US Senate Committee on Appropriations, Republican senator Susan Collins (Maine) claimed the cuts, which could result in capability gaps in both the short and medium terms, would lead to “a much smaller air force”.

“Each budget request must account for both the threats we

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