Air Force Pilot Shortage Could Send Some to Noncombat Roles

An Air Force pilot climbs aboard a T-38 before a training flight. [Courtesy: USAF]

The overall shortage of U.S. Air Force pilots could mean that recent T-38 pilot-training graduates could find themselves assigned to noncombat roles, such as instructor pilots or flying transports and air-to-air refuelers.

Graduates of T-38 training usually go on to fighters or bombers, but the acute shortage means that there aren’t enough pilots available for the other duty tracks.

According to a memo, the Air Force reported that the service is short by 1,848 pilots, with “1,142 of those being fighter pilots.”

Still, the memo identified a “significant but necessary policy change” opening up other career paths for T-38 graduates.

"While we would prefer to send every qualified T-38 graduate to a fighter [formal training unit], circumstances dictate that we utilize available capacity to maximize pilot production," the memo said. "In the near term, in addition to traditional fighter/bomber assignments, T-38 graduates will be matched to additional T-6 First Assignment Instructor Pilot assignments and opted for non-fighter/bomber aircraft."

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AVweb.