H.R. 2327: Air National Guard Squadron Preservation Act of 2025

This bill, known as the Air National Guard Squadron Preservation Act of 2025, aims to ensure that the U.S. Air National Guard maintains a capable fleet of fighter aircraft. Here are the main points of the bill:

Purpose

The bill's overarching goal is to maintain the capabilities and strength of the Air National Guard's fighter aircraft units by ensuring that they receive modern aircraft as replacements for older models. This is considered crucial to address current and future threats effectively.

Recapitalization Plan

The Secretary of the Air Force is required to take action to:

• Continue the production and procurement of both advanced capability fighter aircraft and fifth generation fighter aircraft.
• Ensure that all legacy fighter aircraft in Air National Guard units are replaced with these newer models.

Procurement Procedures

The bill specifies that the Secretary of the Air Force must:

• Contract for the procurement of new advanced capability and fifth generation fighter aircraft.
• Modify existing contracts to acquire additional aircraft if necessary.

Government Accountability Office (GAO) Review

The GAO is tasked with conducting a review of the procurement process for advanced capability fighter aircraft. This review would:

• Assess any challenges the Air Force faces in procuring these aircraft.
• Provide recommendations to address these challenges.

They must also brief congressional defense committees on their findings within a year of the bill's enactment and submit a final report afterward.

Progress Reports

The bill requires the Secretary of the Air Force to submit regular reports on:

• The implementation of GAO recommendations.
• The status of replacing legacy aircraft in Air National Guard units with the new fighters.

Feasibility Study Requirements

The Secretary is also required to conduct a study to evaluate:

• The need for advanced capability fighter aircraft for both active and reserve components of the Air Force.
• Potential integration of unmanned or autonomous capabilities in fighter aircraft.
• Cost savings associated with aircraft procurements.
• Which Air Force units would be eligible for the new aircraft.
• The suitability of multi-year contracts for aircraft procurement.

The findings of this study must be reported to congressional defense committees within 180 days of the bill's enactment.

Definitions

The bill outlines specific definitions for terms such as:

• Advanced capability fighter aircraft: Includes specific variants of fighter aircraft that meet the advanced criteria.
• Legacy capability fighter aircraft: Older models that need replacement, excluding certain newer variants.

Relevant Companies

• BA - Boeing: The company is involved in manufacturing fighter aircraft and may see increased contracts for advanced aircraft production.
• RTX - Raytheon Technologies: As a major defense contractor, the company could benefit from procurement related to advanced fighter aircraft systems.
• LMT - Lockheed Martin: Known for producing advanced defense systems, this company may be directly impacted by increases in procurement contracts for fifth generation fighter aircraft.