US Air Force to Expand Fighter Fleet with More F‑35As, F‑15EXs and New F‑47s
The United States Air Force, which operates the world’s largest modern fighter fleet, will increase its numbers in the 2030s as older aircraft are retired and additional F‑35A and F‑15EX jets are delivered. Its current inventory includes F‑15C/D, F‑15E, F‑15EX, F‑16, F‑35A, F‑22 and A‑10 aircraft. The service also plans to acquire at least 185 sixth‑generation F‑47 fighters, though these are expected to be outnumbered by the combat‑capable aircraft it already fields.1
The expansion reflects the Air Force’s strategy to maintain a dominant air‑combat capability, with the F‑35A potentially becoming the final mass‑produced crewed fighter it procures, while the new F‑47s will complement rather than replace existing platforms.1