The Air Force requested 2.4 percent more funding for fiscal year 2017 than the $163.1 billion it was appropriated for last fiscal year.
As part of the $166.9 billion it requested for FY ’17, the Air Force wants $12.3 billion in overseas contingency operations (OCO) wartime spending, 22 percent more than what was enacted last year.
Former Air Force Vice Chief of Staff and now Air Force Association (AFA) President, retired Gen. Larry Spencer, told Defense Daily Tuesday he believed the Air Force’s budget request was essentially flat from fiscal years 2016 to 2017 taking into consideration pay raises for civilians and military. Spencer retired from the Air Force October 1.
“It’s a loss in buying power,” Spencer said. “Significantly less than (USAF) had planned.”
The Air Force would buy five fewer F-35As as part of its FY ’17 budget request than last year for a total of 43 aircraft. Calling the F-35A one of its top three acquisition priorities, the Air Force said it “took risk” in the program by deferring five aircraft while partially funding Block 4 software upgrades. The service requested $4.8 billion in procurement funding for F-35s, including $554 million for F135 engines that power the aircraft. Budget documents say the F135 has a unit price of $13 million.
The $4.8 billion also includes advanced procurement for 44 F-35As in FY ’18. The Air Force, over the next five years, anticipates spending nearly $27 billion on F-35.
Spencer noted that the Air Force is simply delaying the purchase of those five F-35As and not outright cutting the buy. He said he’s concerned about the potential capability hit the Air Force could take by delaying the purchase of a few F-35s.
“They need to replace the old fourth generation fighters, it’s really a critical capability the country needs,” Spencer said. “I understand readiness is a top priority, but, again, it is concerning that it has reached the point that the Air Force had to trade off such a key weapon system to maintain its readiness.”
The service would also buy three additional KC-46A aerial refueling tankers, a total of 15, as part of its $2.9 billion request in procurement funding. The Air Force anticipates a contract award between April and the end of June for the KC-46A maintenance training system (MTS). The MTS acquisition focuses on designing, developing, testing, producing and fielding an optimized training system for KC-46A maintainers by integrating various forms of training media and maintenance training devices into a “blended” solution. Source selection began in June. The Air Force anticipates spending roughly $15 billion in procurement funding over the next five years on KC-46A.
In other aircraft procurement notes, the Air Force would buy two fewer MC-130Js, nine fewer MQ-9A Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), three fewer HC-130Js and 11 fewer C-130Js as part of its FY ’17 budget request.
The service is increasing research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E) spending on the Long Range Strike Bomber, one its top three priorities. The Air Force requested nearly $1.4 billion in FY ’17 for RDT&E, nearly an 85 percent increase from last year. The program is currently on hold as the Government Accountability Office (GAO) considers a bid protest from Lockheed Martin [LMT] and Boeing [BA]. Northrop Grumman was awarded the LRSB contract. The GAO’s decision is due Feb. 16.
In the space portfolio, the Air Force would buy one additional Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) mission. A total of five launch services, including three competitive launches, would be procured in FY ’17. One satellite launch is scheduled for the upcoming fiscal year. The Air Force also budgets for a fixed-price block buy of two Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) satellites, space vehicles 5 and 6, and two Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) satellites, also space vehicles 5 and 6. The service said FY ’17 is the final year of incremental funding for AEHF satellites.
The Air Force would also not purchase a Global Positioning System III (GPS III) satellite, opting to delay the purchase until the next fiscal year. The service says it is delaying the GPS III space vehicle 11 procurement until FY ’18 to provide for a space vehicle 11 Phase 1 feasibility assessment of industry feedback that companies could have a production ready space vehicle design in time to compete in a FY ’17 production competition. The Air Force said it reallocated the savings from delaying the GPS III SV 11 buy to fund the GPS Operational Control System (OCX) to “service cost position” levels.
EELV is also part of one of the largest Air Force investment new starts. The service requested $296 million for “launch system investment,” but no further details were provided in the budget overview.
The Air Force seeks to modernize 24 F-16 aircraft with advanced electronically scanned array (AESA) radars in support of homeland defense requirements in the National Capital region. Modernization would begin in FY ’17. This year’s budget request also delays the retirement of the A-10 through FY ’22.
In the munitions portfolio, the Air Force is buying 219 fewer AIM-9X Sidewinder missiles than it was allocated last fiscal year. To compensate for fewer Sidewinders, the Air Force said it is adding investment in the missile’s software to increase its overall capability. The Air Force said it is also “marginally increasing” AIM-120D AMRAAM procurement from its FY ’16 request level across the Future Year’s Defense Program (FYDP), the five-year funding prediction. The Air Force will buy six fewer AIM-120D AMRAAMs.
The Air Force is asking to buy 75 percent fewer AGM-114 Hellfire missiles than the 6,256 it was allocated last year as prior year reprogramming actions will allow inventory levels to achieve a “healthy state” in fiscal years 2017 and 2018. The Air Force requests 128 percent more Small Diameter Bombs (SDB) and 50 percent more AGM158 JASSM-ERs. The service said it is also increasing Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) tail kit procurement “substantially” from FY ’16, but failed to provide details in its budget overview.
The Air Force is ramping up RDT&E spending on its Air Force One replacement program, formally known as Presidential Aircraft Recapitalization (PAR). The service’s request of $351 million is 328 percent more than enacted last year.
The Air Force budget request centralizes oversight and control of the nuclear enterprise by transferring ownership of Kirtland AFB, N.M., from Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC) to Air Force Global Strike Command (AFGSC). It also transfers the B-1bomber from Air Combat Command (ACC) to AFGSC. These moves send over 8,600 military and civilian authorizations to AFGSC’s portfolio and oversight.