America’s 21st Century Fighter Gap

Why Golden Dome Exposes the Need for More 5th Generation Aircraft

A pair of U.S.-built NORAD F-22 fighter jets fly off the wing of a civilian airplane playing the role of a hijacked airliner over a mountainous area of Alaska, on Aug. 10, 2010. AP Photo/Ted S. Warren

Commentary

The Golden Dome has captured headlines as America’s next-generation missile defense shield in the debates around the fiscal year 2026 defense budget’s trillion-dollar price tag. But danger lurks between the headlines. America’s fighter fleet—the smallest in modern Air Force history—lacks the numbers needed to both protect the homeland and secure the skies abroad. While no one questions that fighters have a vital role in homeland defense, the trouble is that we simply don’t have enough of them. Neither the defense budget nor the $150 billion reconciliation package include plans for multiyear aircraft procurement.

New Threats to the Homeland

Iran’s 2024 attacks on Israel delivered a masterclass in modern air defense—and a preview of threats heading our way. When Tehran launched hundreds of drones and cruise missiles, it was primarily fighters—Israeli F-35Is supported by American and Jordanian aircraft—that decimated them over Iraq and Syria before they could reach ground-based defenses. The lesson was unmistakable: Fighters are the indispensable first line of any modern air defense system.