5 Fighter Jets The US Air Force Tried To Retire But Congress Saved

Since FY2023, the United States Air Force has tried to send five different combat jets to the boneyard, and Congress has blocked, capped, or delayed every single attempt through NDAA language and statutory minimum-fleet mandates. This list ranks those five fighters and attack jets by fleet size. Congress forced the Air Force to keep 32 Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptors protected through at least FY2028 up to a mandated floor of 103 Fairchild A-10 Warthogs the service wanted to be gone entirely by FY2026. Along the way, it named the exact NDAA provision or minimum-fleet mandate behind each save, and what the Air Force wanted to spend the money on instead.