Expressing cautious optimism that Congress will finally acquiesce to USAF retiring the B-52s it wants to let go of, Air Force Secretary Wynne said Monday at the AFA conference in Washington, “Even the most ardent supporters of the B-52 agree that the real answer” to a healthy long-range strike requirement “is a system beyond” the current fleet. He said “support in Congress is gaining” for retiring a good portion of the B-52 fleet.
Fresh off the first combat deployment of its new EA-37B, the Air Force is nearly doubling the planned number of new electronic attack jets and projecting more than $3 billion in spending on the program in the next five years.