The House and Senate Armed Services Committees Fiscal 2015 defense authorization agreement requires the Air Force to submit a five-year basing plan for C-130H and J-variant aircraft to Congress. It also prohibits USAF from transferring any C-130s until the Air Force Secretary and the Comptroller General have conducted a full cost-benefit analysis of any desired transfers. In addition, the report must certify that units with modular airborne firefighting system-equipped C-130s “would not be negatively affected by the proposed transfers,” states the agreement summary. “We do not intend that the prohibition on transfer of C-130 aircraft apply to movements of aircraft associated with normal Air Force management of the C-130 fleet, such as transferring aircraft between units and depots in conjunction with conducting regular maintenance or upgrades of the aircraft,” states the summary.
The rate of building B-21 bombers would speed up if the fiscal 2026 defense budget passes. But it remains unclear how much capacity would be added, and whether the Air Force would simply build the bombers faster, or buy more.
