The House Armed Services Air and Land Forces Subcommittee markup for the 2008 defense authorization bill recommends allowing the Air Force to retire C-5As. However, the panel has stipulated that the service maintain a fleet of 299 strategic airlifters, so it will only get to retire the A models as new C-17s enter the field. Currently, USAF has a total of 111 C-5s—60 are A models. The current approved buy for C-17s is 190 aircraft. So, to maintain a total of 299 if it retires all 60 A models, USAF would need to purchase an additional 58 C-17s. The panel has recommended adding $2.4 billion to the 2008 bill to purchase 10 C-17s. Retiring the C-5As will be a long, slow process.
The Pentagon awarded a contract worth over $2 billion for the next batch of F-35 engines to Pratt & Whitney on June 5. The deal for Lot 17 F135 engines, totaling $2.02 billion, is expected to be completed by December 2025.