A provision in the fiscal year 2016 defense authorization bill approved by the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) last week may provide the Air Force with flexibility to direct qualified maintainers to its F-35A program, something the F-35 Joint Program Office (JPO) has sought.
The SASC-approved legislation requires the Air Force, starting Oct. 1, to maintain a total aircraft inventory of fighter aircraft of no less than 1,950 and a total primary mission aircraft inventory (combat-coded) of no less than 1,116 fighter aircraft. This would allow the service to stand down 24 aircraft at Hill AFB, Utah, in FY ’16 to transition the people and resources of the squadron to the F-35A aircraft. The wording may be vague enough to allow the Air Force flexibility to adjust resources as it sees fit.
SASC said the Air Force currently fields 54 fighter squadrons and that the Air Force’s proposed FY ’16 retirement of an additional five A-10 combat squadrons would reduce the total to 49 fighter squadrons. The committee said of the 49 squadrons, the Air Force estimates less than half would be fully combat mission ready. Hence its opposition to A-10 retirement, the committee said.
The Air Force announced in March it would convert 18 primary combat-coded A-10s from the active force and place them into backup-aircraft inventory status to free up experienced maintainers so they can be integrated into the F-35 program. The service said it might convert another 18 at a later date in FY ’15. SASC said its bill would require the Air Force to maintain a minimum of 171 A-10s designated as primary mission aircraft inventory to retain viable combat squadron sizes through sufficient primary assigned aircraft. It also said the service should neither close nor consolidate A-10 units, make changes to standard sustainment processes, or reduce A-10 pilot training or A-10 flying hours for other Air Force aircraft.
The Air Force stations F-16s at Hill and will also host F-35s in September, according to a Hill spokesman. The head of the F-35 program, Air Force Gen. Christopher Bogdan, has supported retiring A-10s to free up qualified maintainers for F-35s. Bogdan said in October the Air Force by 2016 is supposed to have 1,100 maintainers of varying experience and skill, with 800 coming from the A-10 program, to maintain the F-35As (Defense Daily, Oct. 30).
The F-35 is developed by Lockheed Martin [LMT] with subcontractors BAE Systems and Northrop Grumman [NOC].