US Air Force faces critical pilot shortage and aging fleet
The Mitchell Institute report reveals an unsettling truth about the US Air Force. For nearly 20 years, there has been a continuous shortage of about 2,000 pilots in the force, with more than half being fighter pilots. Heather R. Penney, the report's author and one of the first women trained as combat pilots in the US Air Force, points out that these shortages "severely reduce the combat readiness of the US Air Force and their ability to conduct a war campaign at a similar level."
Heather R. Penney, also known as "Lucky," flew F-16 fighters for 10 years and participated in numerous patrol flights over Washington and two combat missions, including Operation Iraqi Freedom, during her aviation career. "Lucky" and Colonel Marc "Sass" Sasseville played significant roles in the events of September 11, 2001.
The pilots were dispatched on an extremely dangerous mission to intercept United Airlines Flight 93, which was suspected to be heading for the Capitol. However, there wasn't enough time to arm their planes with live ammunition, leaving ramming the plane as the only option, which effectively meant sacrificing their lives. Ultimately, the passengers of United Airlines Flight 93 fought the hijackers, and during the struggle, the plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania.
The report reveals shortages in the US Air Force
Currently, Penney is a member of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, focusing on defence policy, research, and analysis. Her latest report, "Want Combat Airpower? Then Fix the Air Force Pilot Crisis," presents a bleak picture of the current staffing state of the United States Air Force (USAF).
"The Air Force pilot corps is currently too small and poorly organized to maintain healthy combat forces capable of winning in a peer conflict and meeting other national security requirements," notes Heather R. Penney in the document. She adds that the crisis affects the entire pilot corps, but the shortage of fighter pilots is particularly acute, accounting for more than half of the missing personnel. Furthermore, the shortages impact both the regular US Air Force, which includes full-time personnel, and reservists.
"Fighter aircraft play a crucial role in providing air superiority, suppressing and destroying air defences, engaging mobile and high-priority targets, and supporting troops in direct contact—all these missions are essential for the effective operation of combined armed forces," Penney reminds.
USAF problems
The US Air Force has long faced a chronic pilot shortage. In 2024 alone, nearly 1,850 pilots were missing, with 1,142 vacancies in the fighter pilot positions. Additionally, there are issues with an aging aircraft fleet and its shrinking size. According to WP Tech journalist Łukasz Michalik's report, based on official budget data, the US Air Force will have 1,295 fighters in 2025, while in 2024 statista data showed 1,351, and in 2023, there were 1,418 units.
Additionally, the aircraft average about 26 to 29 years of age for combat aircraft. All these factors impact costs and the readiness of the aircraft for operation. Łukasz Michalik rightly pointed out, "from roughly the middle of the previous decade, it has been maintained at about 50 per cent, which means that in the event of a sudden need, only about every second plane counted in the statistics can be sent to fight."
According to Heather R. Penney, the current US Air Force situation requires immediate action, including increasing the budget and resources for this unit. In her view, it is necessary for the Air Force to increase its aircraft fleet, expand the pilot corps, and provide combat experience to its pilots—both those on active duty and reservists. In the report, Penney indicated that the Air Force must:
- Conduct an almost complete replacement of its combat aircraft fleet,
- Enhance its combat capability by expanding force structure,
- Develop and maintain a combat pilot corps in both the Active Component and Reserve Component, tailored to the size of the combat aircraft fleet, and create sufficient strategic depth to replace lost aircraft and personnel in combat.
