Air Force can hit ambitious 10-year fighter jet goal—but only with a blank check and a broader inventory

An ambitious Air Force plan to acquire hundreds more advanced fighter jets for homeland defense over the next decade would require a blank check from Congress and expanding the tactical aircraft counted in their inventory, an official confirmed Thursday.The report submitted to Congress last week laid out plans for the service to have nearly 1,400 manned tactical aircraft by 2030, roughly 300 more than 1,160 jets in the total combat aircraft inventory today, an Air Force official told reporters.