Pentagon’s FY‑27 ask backs hypersonics, fighters

The Pentagon’s fiscal 2027 budget request puts new money behind the Air Force’s next fighter, new trainer jets and hypersonic missiles. (airandspaceforces.com) The Air Force budget would rise about 22 percent, to more than $317 billion from roughly $260 billion in fiscal 2026, according to Air & Space Forces Magazine’s review of comptroller documents. The broader Department of the Air Force topline is about $397 billion, though that total includes Space Force funding and classified pass-through money. (airandspaceforces.com 1) (airandspaceforces.com 2) One centerpiece is the F-47, the Air Force’s Next-Generation Air Dominance fighter, a sixth-generation jet Boeing is developing after President Donald Trump announced the program would move forward on March 21, 2025. The administration is asking for $2.58 billion for system development and demonstration, and FlightGlobal reported Boeing is targeting a first flight in 2028. (congress.gov) (flightglobal.com) The request also keeps buying today’s fighters while betting on the next wave. The Pentagon wants 38 Air Force F-35A jets in fiscal 2027 and nearly $1 billion to begin buying Collaborative Combat Aircraft, the semi-autonomous drones meant to fly alongside crewed fighters. (airandspaceforces.com 1) (airandspaceforces.com 2) Trainer aircraft are in the mix too. Air & Space Forces Magazine reported the 2027 request adds money for trainer aircraft, extending the Pentagon’s effort to field the Boeing-Saab T-7A Red Hawk after earlier schedule slips pushed the first production contract to fiscal 2026. (airandspaceforces.com 1) (airandspaceforces.com 2) Hypersonic weapons are another priority. The Air Force had already moved to buy the AGM-183A Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon in fiscal 2026, while the Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile was scheduled for first flight testing in fiscal 2026 after a yearlong delay, and the 2027 request continues the push for hypersonic missiles. (defensescoop.com) (airandspaceforces.com) (airandspaceforces.com) The budget does not just buy hardware. The request increases operations and maintenance funding to raise flying hours, part of a readiness push that Air & Space Forces Magazine said sits alongside the procurement and research increases. (airandspaceforces.com) The Space Force is part of the same expansion. Its fiscal 2027 request is $71 billion, about an 80 percent jump, with more money for missile warning, missile tracking, launch procurement and personnel growth. (airandspaceforces.com) Outside analysts said the bigger numbers do not settle the harder question of execution. Federal News Network quoted Stephanie Kostro of the Professional Services Council saying major missions “live or die on budgets and contracts,” while Air & Space Forces Magazine cited an expert who said the Air Force’s aircraft buying plans still looked too cautious against a $1.5 trillion defense topline. (federalnewsnetwork.com) (airandspaceforces.com) Congress now decides what survives. The White House sent the fiscal 2027 budget to Capitol Hill on April 3, 2026, and Air & Space Forces Magazine reported fuller Pentagon budget details are due on April 21. (whitehouse.gov) (airandspaceforces.com)