Fighter Cuts Coming

Not surprising, especially with the Joint Strike Fighter, and this plane is still a decade from entering service. From Jane's:

A November 2005 report advocates cutting US fighter-attack forces by as much as one-third. This would mean retaining the cap on production of the F/A-22 and reducing the total number of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, a development predicted by many sources. The number of US Air Force (USAF) F-35s is likely to be reduced by several hundred from the nominal requirement of 1,763 aircraft.

Actually this is probably a right balance, especially with the increasing capabilities of UAVs. I see a future force consisting of a few manned fighters, backed up by many UAVs doing the most dangerous work.