Altitude Record

The House Armed Services Committee on June 4 approved an amendment to a key defense policy bill that would bar the Air Force from retiring E-3 Sentry aircraft through fiscal 2027.

The Air Force and Space Force are seeking to add more than 6,000 civilian personnel to their ranks in fiscal 2027, a sharp reversal from a year ago when they were looking to slash around 5,700 positions as part of the Trump administration’s push to shrink the federal civilian workforce.

The Air Force is seeking to buy around 108 new aircraft in fiscal 2027—though really, officials wish they could get more. The issue isn’t just more money, according to the service’s No. 2 officer; contractors just aren't able to produce enough aircraft at the present moment, Gen. John Lamontagne said…

The Air Force would keep all of its 184 F-22 Raptors until at least the end of fiscal 2032 under an amendment added to the House Armed Services Committee’s version of the National Defense Authorization bill.

The Air Force wants about $1 billion to move Collaborative Combat Aircraft into production in fiscal 2027 and accelerate the introduction of this game-changing technology. Congress should support that objective.