U.S. Air National Guard Warns of Severe Fighter Shortage Undermining Combat Capabilities

　　The U.S. Air National Guard has sought to press Congress for a significant increase in fighter procurements, as decades of underinvestment leave the fleet increasingly out of date, while ageing airframes suffer from fast rising maintenance needs and operational costs. Air National Guard adjutants general from more than 20 states sent a jointly written letter to Congress in early April requesting multiyear funding for the acquisition of between 72 and 100 new fighters each year. Current procurements have remained at around 48-64 fighters, with 24 F-35A and 24 F-15EX fighters scheduled to be procured in Fiscal Year 2026. It has been close to thee decades since the Air Force last procured over 72 fighters, with this last occurring in 1998.

　　F-15EX Fighter

　　“The United States Air Force is the oldest, the smallest, and the least ready in its 78-year history,” the letter states, adding: “We must build a fighting force that will win.” The letter urges the minimum annual purchases of the 48 F-35A and 24 F-15EX fighters, with a preferred goal of 72 F-35As and 36 F-15EXs. Commenting on the letter after having himself signed it, head of the Idaho Air National Guard Brigadier General Shannon Smith, lamented: “We are burning these jets and the airmen over time to support the joint force to accomplish the president’s goals with Epic Fury in this conflict with Iran.” He further warned that the Air National Guard fighter fleet was  rapidly aging, meaning that “Most of the money will go to keep them flying. In a few years, they’ll be struggling to be flyable, let alone be relevant.”

　　U.S. Air Force F-15C Fighters

　　The decision to procure the F-15EX was primarily influenced by the need to replace Air National Guard F-15C/D fighters, which have served since the Cold War, with the F-35’s much shorter range, lower cruising speed, smaller armament, and much smaller and less powerful radar than modern F-15 variants limiting its suitability for such roles. Nevertheless, the Guard has replaced a portion of its F-15C/D units with F-35A fighters. As the F-35’s procurement and sustainment costs rapidly rose during development, planned orders per year were cut from 110 to 80 to 60. to 48. before more recently falling to just 24-40 fighters. China’s unveiling of two new sixth generation fighters in December 2024 at flight prototype stages is considered a primary factor that reduced interest in the fifth generation aircraft.

　　F-35A Fighters at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska

　　Calls from within the Air National Guard to increase procurements of the F-15EX in particular have been made for several years, with Lieutenant General Michael Loh having in September 2022 joined other senior officers in making such calls. Highlighting the fighter’s fifth generation level avionics including its open mission system architecture and AN/APG-82 AESA radar. The F-15EX is the only heavyweight fighter currently in production in the Western world, and was ordered largely due to the failure of the F-22 program to provide a viable successor to the F-15. which it was otherwise expected to replace in production and phase out of service entirely. Cuts to F-22 and F-35 procurements, and both fighter types’ extreme maintenance needs and resulting low availability rates, have been the primary factor in the Air Force’s extreme shortages of fighter aircraft.

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