Air Superiority: No Longer A Guaranteed Asymmetric Advantage
Abstract
The Department of Defense is on the cusp of losing air superiority due to an increasing shortage of fighter aircraft inventory and capability. This issue is commonly referred to as the fighter gap and has been the subject of numerous research papers and studies over the past 20 years. The gap in airpower capability is the result of years of military budget cuts, a delay in 5th generation fighter aircraft procurement, and a legacy fighter fleet approaching the end of its service life. As a result, America could find itself in a conflict where air superiority is not a given, a luxury operational commanders have enjoyed since the end of the Korean War. In 2009 the Congressional Budget Office (CBO)commissioned a study on alternatives for closing the fighter gap and modernizing the U.S. fighter fleet. The CBO study outlined seven possible courses of action to correct the gap in airpower capacity and capability; however, in the subsequent decade, all but two of these possibilities remain viable options. Specifically, the two remaining options are to replace the majority of the aging fighter fleet with 5th generation F-35 aircraft, or choose to limit F-35 production in favor of procuring new advanced 4th generation legacy aircraft, such as the F-15SA, F-16E, or the F/A-18E/F. This case study reveals the benefits of choosing the 5th generation modernization option by contrasting the key benefits of the 5th generation F-35 over legacy platforms.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 18, 2018
- Accession Number
- AD1068718
Entities
People
- Thomas Hayes