U.S. Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ) warned that U.S. adversaries are closing the Air Force technology gap during a subcommittee hearing on Wednesday.
Frelinghuysen, the chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense, told Air Force leadership that modernization of Air Force weapons systems and platforms must continue.
“We now have the oldest Air Force aircraft in history and the smallest Air Force in years, and we must recognize that our adversaries are closing the technological gap,” Frelinghuysen said.
Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James and Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh were among those who participated in the public hearing on Tuesday.
The majority of U.S. defense efforts have focused on threats posed by terrorist groups, but other nations have developed more advanced air capabilities, Frelinghuysen noted.
The Chinese Air Force has become the third largest in the world and has closed the gap in spectrum capabilities, quality of air craft, command and control, radar, electronic warfare and data links, the subcommittee learned.
“While (Air Force leadership) are necessarily focusing on the threats posed by ISIS, al Qaeda and the Taliban, Russia and China are racing ahead to modernize and build front-line air forces,” Frelinghuysen said. “Consequently, we must continue efforts to maintain our current air power edge.”
Russia has procured Su-35S flanker fighters and has developed a fifth generation PAK FA stealth fighter. The Kremlin has also revealed plans to build long-range surface-to-air missile battalions.
Other topics addressed in the subcommittee hearing included assured U.S. access to space, the F-35 joint strike fighter and the future of the long range strike bomber program.