Fighter Pilot Shortage Threatening Readiness

An aerospace think tank says a shortage of Air Force fighter pilots is being compounded by a shortage of airplanes and threatens its combat readiness. The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies says the impact of the shortages is exacerbated by declining pilot experience, which is threatening pilot survivability as a whole. "The Air Force's pilot corps is now too small and poorly structured to sustain a healthy combat force that can prevail in a peer conflict and meet the nation's other national security requirements," the group says.

The study says the steady drip of budget tightening has taken its toll over the long term and it's time to increase numbers across the board. The talent drain is perhaps the most pressing need. Pilot retirements exceed recruiting numbers and in 2024 the Air Force was short 1850 pilots, 1,142 of them fighter pilots. That in turn has diluted the talent pool. “Experienced pilots have better survivability rates and mission outcomes in combat and confer those benefits to their less experienced wingmen,” the report said. “The Air Force’s combat pilot experience levels continue to drop as the service suffers from ongoing budget-driven force cuts and reduces opportunities that are essential to pilot career progression.” More airframes would help because it would free up planes for training while maintaining operational readiness, the study says.