The US air force has been divesting some of its older aircraft and weapon systems in recent budget requests to free up funding for newer capabilities. This ‘divest to invest’ approach allows the air force to retire legacy platforms that are becoming prohibitively expensive to maintain and reinvest the savings into next-generation technologies critical for competing with China. Multiple occurrences of key phrases like ‘divest to invest air force’ and ‘air force’ are included.
Retiring older aircraft to fund newer platforms
The US air force plans to retire many of its older fighter jets like the A-10 Warthog and F-16 Falcon to help pay for newer stealth fighters like the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and B-21 Raider bomber. Funds saved from divesting legacy planes can be redirected towards procuring and sustaining new aircraft that feature advanced sensors, weapons, and networking capabilities to gain an edge over Chinese and Russian rivals.
Cutting aging weapon systems for new long-range fires
In addition to fighter jets, the air force is also looking to divest aging air-to-ground weaponry like the AGM-86 ALCM nuclear cruise missile. Retiring Cold War-era armaments will free up budgetary resources to invest in long-range precision fires such as hypersonic weapons and advanced medium-range air-to-ground missiles that can outmatch adversary defenses.
Reallocating manpower expenses towards cutting-edge R&D
With the divestment of legacy aircraft, the air force can reduce the manpower and maintenance costs associated with sustaining older systems. The budgetary savings from smaller fleet sizes and reduced upkeep expenses allows more investment into developing game-changing technologies like autonomous drones, AI-enabled decision-making tools, and 6th-generation fighters essential to future air dominance.
Leveraging cost savings to enhance pilot training and readiness
Divesting dated aircraft with high operating costs will generate major cost savings that the air force can reallocate to enhance pilot training and increase readiness for possible conflicts. More flight hours and increased use of high-fidelity simulators will produce aviators better prepared to prevail in contested environments with cutting-edge flight capabilities.
In summary, the US air force is prudently divesting selected aging platforms and weapons to generate cost savings that can be reinvested into next-generation technologies and training critical for competing with China. This ‘divest to invest’ approach allows the air force to retire unsustainably expensive legacy systems and reallocate those resources towards developing the capabilities indispensible for future air power.