House Republican appropriators pushed back hard Friday against the Air Force’s proposal to retire scores of aircraft in the next fiscal year — in some cases long before newer models will be available to replace them.
The $194 billion fiscal 2023 budget request for the Air Force would be substantial — a 7 percent hike over the fiscal 2022 enacted level. The Air Force’s share is $169.5 billion, and the Space Force’s is $24.5 billion.
The service would buy dozens of new aircraft and other systems, including the first of its fleet of B-21 Raider nuclear-capable bombers.
