The F-35 isn't even fully operational and the USAF is working on "Air Domination 2030"

via Reuters.

Feb 18 The U.S. Air Force is nearing completion of a study about U.S. air dominance in 2030 that will lay the groundwork for future purchases of a "family" of new combat weapons that could include a fighter jet, a top general said Thursday.

Lieutenant General Mike Holmes, deputy chief of staff of the Air Force for strategic plans and requirements, told reporters the study should be presented to top Air Force leaders next month. The next step would be a formal analysis of alternatives, which would pave the way for a new acquisition program in coming years, he said.


Lockheed Martin Corp, maker of the F-35 and F-22 fighter jets, Boeing Co, which builds the F/A-18E/F and F-15 fighter jets, and Northrop Grumman Corp, maker of unmanned planes and large parts of the F-35 and F/A-18 jets, are watching closely for clues about the future weapons program.

This is telling.

What I don't know is whether the motivation is to save the legacy of this generation of leaders that saddled us with the underperforming F-35, recognition that the plane will never be all that they once claimed it to be or both.