Senior Air Force officials say they were given a $15 billion budget cut across 2007-11, leaving them with scant room to wiggle. There will be personnel cuts (see below). And, the service will buy only 183 F/A-22 Raptors (number corrected from 185 following official USAF briefing on 12/13/05). The fighters will cost more per unit because the service must extend production by two years to 2010 to create a bridge to F-35 Joint Strike Fighter production. All four services are taking cuts, but they all agreed USAF must buy fifth generation fighters. Say goodbye to the FB-22 bomber variant, however. Watch this space for more QDR news.
New B-52 Radar Makes First Flight
Dec. 12, 2025
The Air Force’s radar modernization effort for the B-52 Stratofortress entered flight testing recently, a “milestone” for the once over-budget system that senior leaders call the start of a new era for the Cold War bomber.
