S.Amdt. 3279

This amendment, titled the Fighter Force Preservation and Recapitalization Act of 2025, aims to set strict requirements for the number and management of fighter aircraft within the Air Force and its reserve components.

The amendment seeks to change and add the following to the bill:

• Inventory Levels: It increases the minimum total aircraft inventory of fighter aircraft to 1,900 (up from 1,800) and the primary mission aircraft inventory to 1,200 (up from 1,145) through October 1, 2030.

• Temporary Reductions: The Secretary of Defense can temporarily reduce the inventory to enable the transition to new aircraft, provided the total does not drop below 1,800 aircraft and the reduction does not last longer than two years.

• Accountability and Reporting: The Secretary of the Air Force must submit quarterly reports to congressional defense committees on the status of the fighter inventory. If these reports are not submitted on time, funds for the Secretary of the Air Force's travel cannot be used.

• Distribution and Retirements:

  • At least three out of every four new advanced, fifth-generation, or next-generation aircraft must be assigned to service-retained squadrons.
  • Legacy aircraft can be retired on a one-for-one basis as new aircraft are delivered to those squadrons.

• Air National Guard Protections:

  • The Secretary of the Air Force must maintain at least 25 Air National Guard fighter squadrons that existed as of December 23, 2024.
  • There is a general ban on retiring or reducing funding for legacy or fifth-generation aircraft in these 25 squadrons, unless the aircraft are determined to be non-mission capable and uneconomical to repair.
  • The Secretary must develop an annual plan to recapitalize the Air National Guard fleet at a rate similar to active components and examine the feasibility of acquiring F-16 Block 70 aircraft for the Guard.