In 
the 2020s, the Air Force intends to be at full-rate production with its new tanker, next-generation bomber, the F-35 strike fighter, and a new advanced trainer aircraft, said Todd Harrison, a senior fellow for defense budget studies at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. That’s a lofty order even without the Budget Control Act’s money-slashing sequestration clause going into effect, said Harrison during a briefing last week in Washington, D.C. “Bottom line, the Air Force is going to have a budget crunch one way or another. This was going to happen regardless of sequestration . . . so they are going to have to make some tough choices over the coming years,” he said. However, modern aircraft like the F-22 and F-35 are far more capable than their predecessors, he said. Remotely piloted aircraft also may be able to soften the budget blow, said Harrison. However, “we might need to shift our investment in the type of [RPAs] we’ve been buying” since “Predators and Reapers . . . are completely vulnerable” to enemy air defenses, he said. Instead, the Air Force should consider buying stealthy unmanned aircraft capable of operating in denied environments, said Harrison.
Planning an Air Show Is Hard. At Andrews, It’s Even Harder
Sept. 17, 2025
Joint Base Andrews opened its flightline this month to thousands of civilians, exposing a normally restricted airbase that regularly hosts the president and foreign dignitaries to a curious public eager to see current and historic military aircraft up close and in action.
