The Senate Appropriations Committee July 17 approved a $489.6 billion Fiscal 2015 defense funding bill that supports most of the Air Force's top procurement requests, but rejects the service's request to retire the A-10 fleet. The Senate joined the House in approving procurement of the requested 26 F-35As, seven KC-46A tankers, 13 C-130Js, and 12 MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft. But the Senate panel refused to allow the Air Force to retire the A-10s, shifting $338 million from "lower priority" accounts to A-10 operations. It also barred retirement of any of the 31 E-3 AWACS.
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