WASHINGTON, D.C.- The US Air Force seeks an additional $3.2 billion in spares funding to improve aircraft readiness. Vice Chief Gen. John D. Lamontagne presented this request to Congress on April 15 during a House Armed Services Readiness subcommittee hearing.
Early fiscal 2027 budget figures do not specify the $3.2 billion amount, but they include large increases for operations and maintenance and the revolving Working Capital Fund.
The Air Force wants to raise O&M funding by $15.4 billion over fiscal 2026, a nearly 20 percent jump. The Working Capital Fund would receive more than $4 billion, with some of that money also supporting readiness gains.
US Air Force Prioritizes Aircraft Readiness Investments
Air Force leaders have focused on readiness for the past year. Secretary Troy E. Meink and Chief of Staff Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach made readiness their main goal since taking their jobs last year.
The service requested $36.5 billion for readiness in fiscal 2026, which includes weapon system sustainment.
According to Air & Space Forces, weapons sustainment accounts that fund spare parts will receive stronger support in fiscal 2027.
Historically the Air Force has funded weapons systems sustainment to about an 85 percent level versus requirements. Last year it reached an 86 percent level, so some improvement but not enough.
This year’s budget for 2027 takes the level to 93 percent with an additional $3.2 billion to help sustain those airplanes over time.
Lamontagne told lawmakers the Air Force is using the White House’s ambitious $1.5 trillion budget threshold for fiscal 2027 to fix problems like parts shortfalls that keep aircraft grounded.
“We are redoubling our efforts to invest in our ability to maintain the airplanes,” Lamontagne said. Weapons sustainment accounts will be more richly funded in 2027.
Challenges with Shortages and Cannibalization
Readiness funding by itself cannot solve every issue. A major problem occurs when the needed part is not on the shelf. In such cases, maintainers must remove the part from another airplane. Lamontagne described the time cost clearly.
It takes two hours to get the part off that airplane, two hours to put it in the second airplane, and when the replacement part arrives, another two hours to install it in the third airplane. This cannibalization wastes valuable time and resources.
Push for Government
Lawmakers and Lamontagne also examined the government’s right to repair military systems. Current intellectual property restrictions often block the Air Force from repairing components directly.
“We need data that gets down to the component and subcomponent systems so that our Airmen can affect repairs a lot of times,” Lamontagne told lawmakers.
A broken auxiliary power unit might be repairable, yet contract rules may limit Airmen to only removing the part and swapping in a spare or taking one from another aircraft.
Right-to-repair legislation would require defense contractors to provide technical data rights. This would allow competition for service and support contracts and let Airmen and Air Force civilians perform more maintenance work themselves.
Leaders from the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Space Force agreed that right-to-repair rules would help if included in the next National Defense Authorization Act. Rep. Pat Harrigan (R-N.C.) said Congress came close to passing it in the last budget cycle and promised to push the issue again this year.
“This committee wants to give it to you, but for some reason there is some force that is out there that is preventing that from happening,” he said.
“I’m going to start getting very agitated about this this year. We have to deliver right to repair to the services.”
Bipartisan right-to-repair legislation became one of the last sticking points in NDAA negotiations last fall. The measure had support from both Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.).
Opponents include Aerospace Industries Association President Eric Fanning, a former Army Secretary during the Obama administration.
In a November op-ed in the Washington Times, Fanning argued that forcing the Pentagon to buy intellectual property on every contract could drive up costs, slow modernization, and make it harder to attract new tech leaders.
The Air Force has started to design future systems, such as Collaborative Combat Aircraft, around government reference architectures.
This approach helps the service manage and upgrade platforms more effectively. Last April, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directed the Army to identify and propose contract modifications for right-to-repair provisions where intellectual property constraints limit maintenance and access to tools, software, and technical data.
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