In Episode 156 of the Aerospace Advantage, 4th Gen to 5th Gen Air Combat Evolution: Operator Perspectives, Mitchell Institute’s John “Slick” Baum chats with two seasoned fighter pilots, Lt Col Gary Glojek and Lt Col Max Cover, about how modernization is impacting today’s Air Force flightlines. Specifically, they discuss how the combat Air Force inventory is evolving from a 4th generation force to one increasingly populated by 5th generation aircraft.

Types like the A-10, which have been in the Air Force inventory since the 1970s, are sunsetting. Others, like the F-16 will stay in the inventory for several more years, but in reduced quantities as F-35 numbers increase. Add this to the combination of F-22, F-35, B-2, and B-21, plus NGAD, and the Air Force is looking at a fundamentally reshaped combat inventory. This has major operational, tactical, and technological implications for how these forces train and execute missions. Given Cover’s time in the F-16 and F-35, plus Glojek’s time in the A-10, these two airmen are uniquely qualified to discuss this operational evolution.

Guests

Lt Col Gary GlojekAir Force Senior Developmental Education Fellow Alumni

Col Maxwell CoverAir Force Senior Developmental Education Fellow Alumni

Host

John BaumSenior Fellow, The Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies

Credits

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