The Air Force requested $137.9 billion for fiscal year 2015, a slight decrease from the $138.3 billion appropriated for FY ’14.
The Air Force wants $18.5 billion for procurement, up 10.6 percent from what was appropriated in FY ’14. Of this, $4.3 billion is for the procurement of 26 F-35As, up from 19 for FY ’14, and $1.6 billion for seven KC-46A aerial refueling tankers. The Air Force also requested funds to buy 12 MQ-9A Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), down from 20 in FY ’14. Air Force brass often says the F-35 and the KC-46A are two of their three top priorities, along with the next-generation bomber, also known as the Long Range Strike Bomber (LRSB). In addition, $914 million in research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E) funding was requested in the FY ’15 budget for LRSB.
Air Force budget official Maj. Gen. Jim Martins said Tuesday during a briefing the service decided to move forward with a Combat Rescue Helicopter (CRH) program, despite no funding being allocated for the program in FY ’15. A contract will be awarded this year, he said. The CRH fleet is designed to replace the service’s rapidly-aging HH-60G Pave Hawk fleet. A team of Sikorsky, a division of United Technologies Corp. [UTX], and Lockheed Martin [LMT] is believed to be the only bidder in the competition.
In an about face from two years ago, the Air Force decided to go with the Reapers instead of the U-2 reconnaissance aircraft. The Air Force also proposes starting procurement of MQ-9/Block 5 aircraft, which it called a new configuration that provides robust communication, encryption and power for next generation sensors. The Air Force said it proposed reducing Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) capacity by seven aircraft in FY ’15, but would retain modernization funding for the rest of the fleet.
The service also proposed cutting its A-10 fleet, as Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said it would Feb. 24, and divesting “a number” of older F-15C aircraft. The FY ’15 request retains the KC-10 fleet, but DoD warned that if constrained by sequestration into the future, the Air Force would be to divest entire KC-10 fleet starting in FY ’16.
For the first time, the Defense Department in FY ’15 included a second, separate, budget request of $26.4 billion called the Opportunity, Growth and Security Initiative (OGS). The Air Force, for its part in OGSI, requested enough funds for two F-35As, increase C-130J and MQ-9 recapitalization efforts and purchase 12 Reapers and 10 C-130Js. The service also proposed terminating its F-16 Combat Avionics Programmed Extension Suite (CAPES) program.
In major space programs, the Air Force requested enough to procure three Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) launches. EELV will eventually be opened up to competition among commercial launch companies. The service also requested enough for one next-generation Global Positioning System (GPS) III satellite. GPS III has been slowed by troublesome development of a navigation payload. The service requested nearly $214 million in research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E) funding for its Space Fence space surveillance program.
The Air Force requested funds for T-X, the program to replace its aging T-38C fleet and ground-based training systems The service said it also begins efforts to explore replacement options for the Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS) aircraft.
DoD overall requested $495.5 billion for FY ’15, down 0.08% from what was appropriated for FY ’14.