The Air Force’s $194 billion budget request for fiscal 2023 is intended to foster a balance between planning for the future and meeting immediate needs, service leadership believes. “This is not the end of a process; rather, this is accelerating a necessary and ongoing transformation,” said Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall.
The proposed budget is $20.3 billion larger than that appropriated for 2022. The Air Force would receive $169.5 billion, while the Space Force would get $24.5 billion. With plans afoot to retire some legacy aircraft, the service would redirect assets toward purchasing more newer platforms.
This would include 33 F-35A Lightning II fighters, 15 KC-46A Pegasus tankers, 24 F-15EX Eagle II fighters, and other hardware. The Space Force would be able to conduct three national security space launches, three others by the Space Development Agency, and two more that would put GPS III satellites into orbit.