On September 15th, an article titled "US Air Force Equipment 'Outdated'" was published on the bimonthly website of National Interest magazine in the United States. The author is Harrison Cass. The goal of the US Air Force is to eliminate outdated aircraft, including A-10 attack planes and older F-22 fighters, to make way for more advanced systems. The aircraft lineup of the US Air Force is dazzling, including U-2 reconnaissance aircraft, A-10 Warthog attack aircraft, C-130 Hercules transport aircraft, KC-135 tanker, F-15 fighter, F-16 fighter, F-22 Raptor stealth fighter, and F-35 fighter. Measured by almost any standard such as quantity, quality, variety, and specialization, the US Air Force has accumulated the most formidable and powerful series of aircraft in human history. However, despite the astonishing size of the US Air Force, people are increasingly concerned that this fleet is outdated - it is too old to effectively participate in modern conflicts. Does the US Air Force need an upgrade? Or is modernization just an exaggeration by hawks? The idea that the US Air Force needs to significantly upgrade its fleet, considering the size of its existing fleet and the cost of modernization, concerns anyone concerned about US military spending. A simple fact is that the United States spends more on defense than any other country in the world. In fact, the defense spending of other countries is far from that of the United States. The US defense budget has surged to approximately $900 billion per year, potentially exceeding the threshold of $1 trillion. The key issue is that the massive defense spending of the United States may not be sufficient to keep up with the pace of modern threat environments, which is frustrating. According to Chris Gordon, a reporter from Air Force Magazine, "US Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall insists that the Air Force needs to quickly modernize. However, modernization does not just mean deploying new aircraft. Kendall and other military leaders believe that the Air Force also needs to eliminate old aircraft." Kendall said last year, "In fact, the Air Force needs all of these things, such as electronic warfare, combat management, intelligence, network capabilities, etc. It doesn't just need aircraft." Kendall explained that "with the changing nature of warfare," systems such as electronic warfare and combat management will become increasingly important and may compete with "traditional platforms. Kendall said, "We have to give up some (traditional platforms) to free up resources for development. There has always been resistance to this in the past." Kendall is referring to the fact that, to a large extent, current air defense systems are becoming increasingly complex, making it difficult for traditional fighter jets, such as the F-15 and F-16 fighters that make up the main body of the US Air Force fighter jet fleet, to counter these air defense systems. However, most aircraft in the US Air Force fleet need to establish air superiority in order to operate effectively. In other words, modern radar, modern surface to air missiles, and fighter jets with modern air superiority will defeat the fourth generation fighter jets of the United States. What the United States needs is aircraft capable of countering complex air defense systems. This means the need for stealth aircraft that can evade detection, as well as aircraft with advanced radar and missile systems that can rival fifth generation fighter jets. The United States does have aircraft that meet the above description. The F-22 Raptor stealth fighter remains the world's leading air superiority fighter. In terms of radar, data fusion, situational awareness, and connectivity, the F-35 fighter jet is the world's best fighter jet. But old equipment still accounts for the majority of the US Air Force fleet. US military planners are beginning to address the issue of troop composition. Gordon wrote, "Kendall said that if possible, the Air Force hopes to replace retired aircraft with advanced systems, such as replacing old fighter units with new ones. If not, the Air Force hopes to persuade lawmakers to make the fleet more 'durable.' Kendall said, 'These are operational issues that we must address in order to effectively respond to emerging and rapidly developing threats.'