Combat Aircraft Journal Magazine USAF Yearbook 2018 Special Issue

WELCOME TO THE third edition of the US Air Force Air Power Yearbook. This annual bookazine aims to deliver a round-up of the most exciting action from the ranks of the world’s premier air arm.

Once again, readiness is at the forefront of concerns for USAF leaders. It’s a word that has many influencing factors, not least manpower — the USAF says it is short by nearly 2,000 pilots — hardware, funding, the list goes on. Ultimately, the biggest concerns as this magazine went to press were over sequestration; the threat of a funding freeze due to legal wrangling over formal budgets. It’s something that Gen Dave Goldfein, the USAF chief, says would ‘break’ the service.

One of the ways the USAF is looking to retain and ‘absorb’ more pilots is through OA-X or light attack. This could see the USAF at long last buying a fleet of low-cost, light attack aircraft to operate in low-threat theatres in support of ground forces in the close air support role. It would also, importantly, serve to reduce the burden on over-worked fighter squadrons. The knock-on effect could be dramatic in helping reduce the strain on the squadrons, lowering flying rates on expensive high-end fighters, and increasing mass in a more cost-effective manner.

Ultimately, the USAF has been on constant combat operations for the past 26 years. In that time its size has fallen drastically. It’s time to reverse that trend.