MITRE study recommends US Air Force procure armed F/T-X aircraft

The US Air Force (USAF) should procure an armed fighter variant of the Boeing T-X trainer aircraft to serve homeland defence missions and free up fourth- and fifth-generation fighters to fight in more threatening environments, according to a federally funded research and development centre (FFRDC) study.

David Gerber, MITRE Corp senior principal systems engineer, said on 5 September that an armed F/T-X, if adapted to carry armament, onboard sensors, and air refuelling capabilities, could adequately defend the United States while being cheaper to operate than fourth- or fifth-generation fighters. Gerber said an F/T-X would also open rich cost-effective opportunities for companion fighter and bomber training, adversary air support, exports, and collaboration with allies and partners. The fourth-generation Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcon is often used to perform homeland defence missions.

A report commissioned by Congress recommended the US Air Force procure an armed variant of Boeing's T-X trainer aircraft to serve the homeland defence mission and free up additional fourth- and fifth-generation aircraft to work in more contested environments such as the Pacific theatre. (Boeing)

Congress in the fiscal year 2018 (FY 2018) National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) directed the Pentagon to perform multiple independent studies to assess USAF aircraft inventory requirements. One was performed by MITRE while the other two were performed by the USAF and the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA).

Gerber, at a Mitchell Institute for Airpower Studies event, said MITRE focused on potential future warfare in the Pacific theatre due to the large distances and sparse basing options to determine the implications for aircraft in terms of range, payload, basing, and missions. MITRE sought to determine which kinds of aircraft inventories could be safely based and have the capability and capacity to get to the fight.