Some A-10 Warthogs could get a reprieve from total retirement as Congress moves to reverse some of the Pentagon’s most dramatic Air Force cuts in its proposed fiscal 2026 budget.
The Pentagon’s budget, which the department released in June, calls for the Air Force to retire its remaining 162-plane fleet of A-10 attack aircraft in 2026, two years earlier than originally intended. It also calls for canceling the E-7 Wedgetail program in favor of E-2D Hawkeyes and space-based sensors, and cutting the planned purchase of F-35A Joint Strike Fighters down to 24, or nearly in half.
The proposed E-7 and F-35 cuts sent shockwaves through the Air Force community and prompted 16 retired four-star generals — including six former chiefs of staff — to speak out against the changes. They sent top congressional leaders a letter Monday urging lawmakers to change course.
The Senate Armed Services Committee on Friday announced it had approved its version of the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act, which would mitigate some of the A-10 and F-35 changes.
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The committee’s NDAA would require the Air Force to keep at least 103 Warthogs in 2026. And it would add 10 more F-35As to the service’s procurement list, to buy 35 of the advanced fighters.
The chairman’s mark of the House Armed Services Committee’s NDAA, also released on Friday, would restore funding for the Air Force’s E-7 program. The E-7 is a Boeing-made airborne battle management that would replace the aging E-3 Sentry, or Airborne Warning and Control System aircraft.
But in recent months, the Pentagon has moved to kill the E-7 program. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told lawmakers in June that the E-7’s cost has risen. He also questioned whether it would be survivable in a fight against an advanced peer such as China.
The Pentagon’s proposed 2026 budget would cut E-7 funding to nearly $200 million, a reduction from $850 million in 2024 and $607 million in 2025.
The House’s proposed NDAA would add another $600 million to the E-7 program to continue its rapid prototyping phase, bringing its budget to nearly $800 million.
And the House would grant the Air Force’s request for $387 million for the Lockheed Martin-made hypersonic AGM-183A Air-launched Rapid Response Weapon, or ARRW. The Air Force started to back away from ARRW after a handful of failed tests in recent years but is now showing signs of changing course.
The Senate NDAA would also require the Air Force to submit two comprehensive roadmaps on how it plans to accomplish key missions in the future: one on its bomber force, and the other on how it will conduct intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.
Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues at Air Force Times, and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare at Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover U.S. Air Force operations.
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