Securing the Sky: Why the Air Force Isn’t Ready for a Next-Gen War – The National Interest

Cutting-edge ideas and proposals for the future of the Air Force include eliminating the F-15EX Eagle II, increasing F-35 production, and beginning a new-start Multi Role X stealth fighterprogram.

A newlyreleased Mitchell Institute for Aerospace report, titled The Future Fighter Force our Nation Requires: Bridge to the Future, outlines a series ofinnovative ideasintended to ensure the Air Force fleet can sustain global dominance in a world increasingly filled with Chinese and Russianfifth-generation stealth fighter aircraft. The report lists a number of detailed recommendations,includinga call to completely divest F-15C/DEagle, A-10CWarthogs and F-15EStrike Eagleinventories. The recommendations reflect a significant overall sensibilitythatfavors new over legacy, meaning 1980s-erafourth-generation fighters should move toward extinction and platforms such as an upgradedfifth-generation F-22Raptor, F-35fighter jetsorsixth-generationNext Generation Air Dominance(NGAD), which willexpand even further as defining elements of a future force.

The U.S. Air Forces ability to secure the sky is in crisis, the study suggests.

The thinking expressed in thestudy seemsto be grounded in thebelief that Russian and Chinese air defenses are too advanced, precise and effective for older airframes to survive.Thats whythe MitchellInstitute for Aerospace reportcalls for the divestiture of the much-discussed and massively upgraded F-15EX, as it is still afourth-generationairframe from the 1980s.

Although F-15C/Ds, the F-16C/Ds, and A-10Cs have all benefited from service life extension and modernization programs, the fact remains that they cannot be upgraded to the point where they can survive in advanced threat environments,according tothe study.

The study recommendscontinued life forthe F-16Fighting Falcon. This is perhaps related tothe role it can play inhomeland defense missions andotherscenarios where the Air Force has already achieved air supremacy. This may be in large measure based upon the realization that, while much less expensive than new-build F-15EXEagle II, upgraded F-16Fighting Falcons caneffectively performany missions requiringfourth-generation technology.For instance, the F-16Fighting Falconhasreceived a number of successful service-life extension enhancements, measures which include enhancements to the structure, airframe,weapons and electronics.

Additionally, the studys support for the F-16Fighting Falconis accompanied by a clear calf for a new-build, freshly designed stealthy aircraft able to embrace some of the missions expected for the F-16Fighting Falcon.Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Charles Brownhasdescribedthe Multi-Role X conceptasbuildingsomething new and different thats not the F-16that has some of those capabilities, but gets there faster andfeatures a digital approach,according to the report.

Anew-start fighter program loosely modeled on the original Lightweight Fighter and F-117 program may be a good idea, per the report.If the service wants recapitalization options other than the F-35A and NGAD for the 2030s, it must begin a new-start fighter competition now.This wouldleverage thelong-term benefits of building a new platform with open architecture and common IP protocol standards such that it has the technological infrastructure to upgrade quickly as needed when new technologies, weapons, computing and avionics emerge, according to the report.

Another legacy fighter that receives even more support than the F-16Fighting Falconin the study is, not surprisingly, the F-22Raptor. The study expresses a measure of regret that the F-22Raptoracquisition program was truncated prematurely, resulting in a lesser-than-expected number of jets.What seems significant about the study is that, despite the rapid progress and promise of a paradigm-changing sixth-generation aircraft, the superiority of the F-22Raptoras an air dominance fighter is highly cherished as key to the future. This makes a lot of sense when one considers that the F-22Raptoris not only a stealthyfifth-generation aircraft believed to outmatch any fighterjetin the world, but theweaponsplatform continuesto receiveadditional lethalweapons, sensors, computing and avionics upgrades. Software upgrades have in recent years greatly hardened the targeting and flight guidance systems of crucial air-to-air weapons such as the AIM-9XSidewinderand AIM-120DAMRAAM. Expanding range, resiliency, precision and guidance technology on these weapons mightincrease their versatilityshould they come up against Russian or Chinesefifth-generation fighters.

Simply put, theAir Force simply needs larger numbers of fighter jets. This recommendation is grounded in the realization that even some of the most advancedfifth andsixth-generation fighters are likely to be lost or destroyed in a high-end conflict against an extremely advanced adversary such as Russia or China. The report usesthetermoperational density to argue that greater numbers of fighters will be needed in the event of some kind ofair war.

The future force must have additional reserves available to ensure operational density and tempo do not suffer from fighter battle damage and attrition,according tothe study.

Kris Osborn is the defense editor for the National Interest. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a Highly Qualified Expert with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the ArmyAcquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University.

Image: Flickr / U.S. Air Force

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Securing the Sky: Why the Air Force Isn't Ready for a Next-Gen War - The National Interest