Air Force expects future airlift fleet to exceed 300 planes

Air Force expects future airlift fleet to exceed 300 planes

Air Force expects future airlift fleet to exceed 300 planes. Senior Air Force officials acknowledged Tuesday, March 20, that the Pentagon's current plans for strategic airlift are not adequate to meet the needs of an Army and Marine Corps that are growing by 92,000 troops. Chief of Staff Michael Moseley told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the Air Force is reviewing the matter and expects this summer to know how many long−distance aircraft it will need to support and transport the burgeoning ground forces. The military's current plans call for 300 strategic lift aircraft, which include C−17 Globemaster III and C−5 Galaxy planes. Moseley said he envisioned the future airlift fleet exceeding 300 planes. But the Air Force would like to retire 25 to 30 of the "worst actors" in the C−5 fleet, which would free up money to buy additional C−17s and continue modernization efforts on the remaining C−5s, Moseley said.