- The Air Force plans to send some of its oldest and most well-known aircraft to the boneyard in 2021 as part of an effort to free up money for future needs.
- According to the service's 2021 budget proposal, some B-1B bombers, A-10 Warthog attack aircraft, and aerial refueling tankers, among others, are on their way out.
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The $207.2 billion total spending in the Air Force's 2021 budget request holds even with what the service was allotted in 2020.
The lack of change in dollars contrasts with Air Force officials' comments about a need for dramatic change to prepare for potential high-end conflict with a power like Russia or China.
"If you have platforms that are not going to play in that 2030 fight, is there a near-term risk, which is real risk, that we need to take as a department to buy our future, to be able to have the connectivity we need to fight at the speeds the future's going to demand?" Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein said in January.
The 2021 request, released Monday, stopped short of big shakeups, such as ditching entire aircraft inventories or scrapping major procurement programs, according to Defense News.
But the proposed 2021 budget would part with a number of noteworthy aircraft, freeing up $4.1 billion in the next five-year spending plan and reflecting a belief that "winning in the future will require investing in the right new capabilities now," an Air Force spokeswoman told Military.com.
Below, you can which aircraft the Air Force wants to retire.