Air Force leaders are trying to find a way to squeeze more effectiveness out of the service’s on-average 26-year-old airframes and one consideration, says Gen. Bruce Carlson, head of Air Force Materiel Command, is the question of whether applying new engines to all non-fighter aircraft is a practical approach to try to increase their operational effectiveness. “Right now… you really can’t make a case for converting to a new engine on an old airplane,” Carlson told defense reporters in Washington June 29, adding, “It takes too long to make it payoff.” However, he noted that there may be some benefit from the use of more economical, alternative fuels. The study has not presupposed the answers, said Carlson and added that it would be very technical, but straightforward. AFMC expects to brief Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne on the entire re-engining discussion in a few months.
In a new 2026 appropriations bill released Jan. 20, Congress included an extra $900 million to save the E-7 airborne early warning and control aircraft from cancelation, an additional $500 million for the F-47 Next-Generation Air Dominance fighter to address “emerging” needs, and $401 million to make up for “economic factors” in…
