Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne told defense reporters in Washington Tuesday that new budget cuts probably mean the average age of USAF aircraft, now at 24 years, will continue to climb. Wynne said, “I wanted it to be 20, 21” years at the end of the decade, but he acknowledged it would be likely for the real number to inch up to 25 years by then.
The Air Force has embraced new technical approaches like open mission systems and rapid software updates for cutting-edge aircraft like the B-21 and Collaborative Combat Aircraft. Increasingly, though, the service is also working to apply these to its older, “legacy” aircraft, officials said this week.