A Seven Aircraft Fudge Factor

March 16, 2006

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org

A Seven Aircraft Fudge Factor: The C-17 is in such heavy demand and working so well, in fact, that the fleet is being worn out at a dramatic rate. Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne, speaking at a Capitol Hill seminar Wednesday, said the C-17s are being used up at a rate “60 percent faster” than was envisioned, hence the addition of seven new C-17s in the Air Force 2007 unfunded priorities list. Wynne added that the business term for this situation is “accelerated depreciation.”

Audio of this article is brought to you by the Air & Space Forces Association, honoring and supporting our Airmen, Guardians, and their families. Find out more at afa.org

Trending Stories

F-47 Still ‘Doing Exceptionally Well,’ on Track for 2028 Flight

Equal Benefits for Equal Work: New Policy, Pending Bill, Aim to Close Gaps for Reservists

Life or Death Over Yemen: How 2 F-16 Pilots Survived a Houthi SAMbush

Space Force Pauses Vulcan Missions amid Anomaly Investigation

Related

Space Force’s Top Guardians Share Their Stories

Feb. 27, 2026
Winners of the Space Force’s fourth annual, service-wide Polaris Awards had the chance to discuss the actions that led to their awards from the main stage here at AFA’s Warfare Symposium on Feb. 24, in a panel discussion moderated by Chief Master Sergeant of the Space Force John Bentivegna.

Orbital Warfare Unit Gets Live Satellite to Practice Maneuvers

Feb. 26, 2026
Guardians in the Space Force’s orbital warfare unit, Mission Delta 9, just got a significant upgrade to their training capabilities in the form of a live satellite, which they’ll use to practice precise, advanced offensive and defensive maneuvers for space warfighting.

F-47 Still ‘Doing Exceptionally Well,’ on Track for 2028 Flight

Feb. 25, 2026
The advanced F-47 sixth-generation fighter remains on track to fly in the next two years, the senior Air Force acquisition officer overseeing the program said Feb. 25, as the service continues on its ambitious schedule to debut the air superiority-focused fighter by 2028—only three years after the contract was awarded…

CMSAF Wolfe’s Formula for Building a Winning Team

Feb. 25, 2026
Against a backdrop of a video replay of the U.S. men's hockey team’s stunning overtime victory to win the gold medal at the Olympics, Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force David R. Wolfe presented his leadership ideals at AFA's 2026 Warfare Symposium on Feb. 25.

Coming Soon: Experimental CCA Ops, Flights with F-22s

Feb. 25, 2026
The Air Force plans to put Collaborative Combat Aircraft in the hands of Airmen to experiment with the semi-autonomous drones this summer, Gen. Dale R. White said Feb. 25 at AFA’s Warfare Symposium.