US Air Force's Top Priorities

摘要

General Mark Welch, Chief of Staff of the US Air Force, identified the service's top five priorities during the 2013 annual Air Force Association convention in Washington, DC on September 18. He said the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, Boeing KC-46A tanker and Long Range Strike-Bomber (LRS-B) were his top priority programmes, which will be funded despite expected budget cuts. In fourth and fifth place he identified recapitalisation of the Northrop Grumman E-8C Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (Joint STARS) medium-altitude intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance force with new aircraft (rather than upgrading its current E-8Cs) - followed by the T-X (Trainer-Experimental) programme replacement for the Northrop T-38 Talon advanced trainer.