This bill directs the Air Force Secretary to prioritize replacing older fighter aircraft with advanced models like the F-15EX, F-35, and F-16 variants at active-duty Air Force bases, particularly those with high deployment rates. The legislation specifically highlights the achievements of the 335th Operational Squadron at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina, crediting them with intercepting over two dozen Iranian drones in 2024, and emphasizes that current F-15E legacy aircraft have declining mission capability rates around 55 percent. The bill requires the Air Force to sequentially replace aging fighters starting with squadrons that deploy at least 30 percent of the time, and mandates the Government Accountability Office to review procurement challenges and submit preliminary findings within one year and a final report shortly thereafter. Additionally, the Air Force Secretary must submit annual progress reports to Congress on how well the modernization effort is proceeding. The legislation does not specify a total budget amount but commits the Pentagon to sustained procurement of advanced fighter aircraft until all legacy planes across Air Combat Command Fighter Wings are replaced.
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