US Air Force strategic programmes to be affected by budgetary uncertainty
An F-35A firing an AIM-120 AMRAAM. (Photo: US Air Force)
The uncertainty within the US regarding the approval of the country’s FY2024 defence budget has been a concern for the US Air Force (USAF) as it could delay its modernisation efforts, potentially providing China with strategic advantages in the current global power competition.
The financial unpredictability could impact the schedule of several programmes including the B-21 long-range stealth bomber aircraft, Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) and the Command, Control, Communications and Battle Management (C3BM).
Speaking on 13 November in a webinar conducted the Center for a New American Security, a US-based thinktank, Frank Kendall III, Secretary of the US Air Force, claimed that
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