When it comes right down to it, the Air Force Chief of Staff, Gen. Michael Moseley, says he believes “the C-17 is a much more valuable asset than the C-5A.” Note that he specifically said the “A” model; that’s the older C-5s that the Air Force would like to retire if they can get relief from the Congressional hold that prohibits retirement, pending results of tests with the C-5 avionics modernization and reliability enhancement and re-engining programs. Moseley told lawmakers that the C-5A technology is too old and that he would like to dump some to buy more C-17s. He explained that the completion of the AMP and RERP testing will “play out over a number of years,” but a decision has to be made about whether to purchase more than 180 C-17s “within the next few months.”
The Air Force’s Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile is behind schedule and may significantly overrun its expected cost, which could partially explain why the service is reviving the hypersonic AGM-183 Air-Launched Rapid-Response Weapon.