Posted on 09/08/2022 5:08:15 AM PDT by whyilovetexas111
In July 2020 ,the United States Air Force contracted with Boeing for the delivery of new F-15 fighters, to be dubbed the F-15EX. The idea behind the F-15EX is remarkable in its simplicity: We have a great fighter plane, but our existing fleet is old, so why not just buy some new ones?
(Excerpt) Read more at 19fortyfive.com ...
To bridge the gap to UCAV, I would concur.
One ‘little’ problem: Finding pilots to fly them (re the obvious: Ongoing DOD policies).
And you have to wonder who got paid off to make that decision at the time.
“From what I have read, all the manufacturing templates, jigs and fixtures necessary to build the F-22 were scrapped and no longer in existence......................”
Same thing with the A-10 and the Saturn V.
We has a recon F-4 as a transient, one time. We went and checked it out. Cleanest, clearest glass I ever saw on those side-facing windows.
Ref the F-22
Why not take one apart and re-create the tooling from all the parts....?
Agree.
Here's some guesswork:
1. The upgraded avionics are required for the latest ASAT missiles.
2. Without the F-15EX, Boeing overhead costs would roll into F-18s making them very expensive.
3. F-15EX will bridge the gap to the Gen-6 fighter.
4. F-15EX will also lower overhead costs for the Gen-6 fighter.
Jewbacca, It's been a while...hope you are doing well.
Because the 15E is a bomb truck that can fight its way in and out and still with very good capability.
I’ve got a picture that is hard to imagine of one taking to the skies at Baghram with a load of bombs lined up from the inlets nearly to the tail, drop tanks and missiles. With all of that on three tires it sort of just waddles from the flight line looking like a paratrooper with all his gear and a leg bag. BTW, the only reason we didn’t obliterate the enemy is because we were not allowed to. We were clearly lop sided in technology and firepower.
It may not be stealthy but neither is the F-35 with a load and the 15EX will have similar EW capabilities to the 35 coupled with the fact that IT GOES and goes a long distance with a full load and a spare engine.
The old 15D and 15E have been flown to death. The newest 15Es we have were built in about 1990. They are just beat up. I knew a guy who got to fly one back from the reman depot. His smile nearly wrapped around his head when he climbed out, the airplane was so much better than the old ones from the line and that was a reman.
We need some new, updated and reliable airplanes. The 15EX fits the bill in a proven package that nobody can rightfully complain about.
The only thing wrong with the plan to buy this airplane is the delivery pace is too slow and there are too few on order and I don’t get to fly one.
33 of the oldest F-22s are due to be retired beginning in 2023, and the entire type are going to be replaced by the NGAD (Next Generation Air Dominance) aircraft currently in development.
Buying new F-22s is not an option, as the tooling has been destroyed. It was preserved for a time after the line shut down in case Congress wanted to open it up again, but instead chose to launch the NGAD program.
The Air Force can buy F-15EXs because the Boeing (McDonnel) F-15 production line is still actively cranking out F-15s for sale worldwide.
The United States Air Force tested its new 16-bomb-carrying configuration of the A-10C Thunderbolt II — also known as the “Warthog” — near Eglin Air Force Base in Florida on Feb. 9, but first released photos just last week. Eglin Air Force Base announced the test in a tweet on March 31, along with photos of the aircraft in flight.
Original A-10 gets a lot of up grades:
New wings
New bomb kit
New pilot helmet gear
New radar
The PS is the guy in back. Much better than any computer assist if he is a good one.
The force multiplier aspect of teaming with the 35 and firing over the horizon from a place of relative safety as a bristling missile platform could be brilliant. Not the original intent for the 35 but I guess when you’ve got lemons...
A 35 isn’t better than a 15 anyway. And so far no F-15 has ever been shot down.
The love affair with gen 5 and gen 6 fighters dominated the procurement mindset for years. Congressional and administrative interference in the realities of deployment have given us pitiful numbers of these airplanes. Imagine a major two theater war with the small numbers of F-22s we have. They simply couldn't handle the load through attrition or maintenance down time for a week until they simply aren't a factor in the outcome anymore.
F-35s are filling some of the gaps but they were never designed to be an air superiority fighter. It appears that they can be data link hubs to coordinate F-15EX operations.
The F-15 EX is a missile truck. It can take out many times it's own numbers at standoff distances. With the F-35 support, the F-15EX plugs a hole in the overall diminishing fighter fleet bucket with an airplane that is ready to go online the day it is delivered, to crews that already know how to fly and maintain it, and deployed to bases that already support it.
USAF retiree here too. I come from a whole long extended family of enlisted men. Finally, my son broke the mold. He got his degree, and went to OTS at Maxwell. He originally wanted to be a USAF lawyer, but due to a pilot shortage, pilot training is all they offered him. When he climbed into that Diamond DA-20, and took off for the first time, he got bit by the aviation bug, and now, all he wants to do, is fly. 🤪😆🤗 I created a monster. 👍
Not true.
17/18 January 1991: F-15E-46-MC, 88‑1689, c/n 1098/E073, of the 335th FS, 4th TFW, USAF, was shot down by anti-aircraft artillery on the first day of Operation Desert Storm.
19/20 January 1991: F-15E-46-MC, 88‑1692, c/n 1101/E076, of the 336th FS, 4th TFW, USAF, was shot down by an Iraqi SA-2E missile during Operation Desert Storm. Both crew members ejected and were POWs.
I remember the Bruneau dunes, but it wasn’t me. I was a lowly enlisted man, so I couldn’t fly.
Wasn’t one of the Pilots MIA for a while?
I have several classmates who flew the A10. Those guys get misty eyed when talking about those days. I always thought it was a great aircraft.
Yeah, the scary threat assessments I’ve seen (and can talk about) are massive Chinese drone/cruise missile strikes on the USA using small nukes from multiple launch points in all directions.
In such a defensive situation, getting up and in the air with lots of fast planes is the priority. Quantity will have a quality all its own, to paraphrase the Russians. Stealth is nice but of marginal use. Cheap, fast, reliable, and numerous are the priorities.
Part of my theory this is a pure domestic defense plane is based on the fact a stealthy F15 strike eagle (“Silent Eagle”) does exist and being perused by my country due to its longer range than F35 and is markedly cheaper. And this particular plane doesn’t have any of the “low observation” features. Nor do I believe is it set up like a strike eagle for ground attack. That reeks of a home court plane for air defense.
My only surprise is a single engine jet (e.g., my beloved Viper) was not the pick. Probably too slow or won’t have enough platform for whatever controls the Blue Team air-to-air drones that are coming (another topic).
I flew with the backseater who was shot down on 19/20 January 1991 and was a POW. We were stationed together at Osan AB Korea, several years before Desert Storm. He went from Osan to SJAFB and transitioned to the F-15E.
The F-22 is no longer in production. Restarting the line would be prohibitively time consuming and costly. Meanwhile, the newer F-35 has limited production that prevents a major increase in numbers byond what is schedule. This makes a batch of new, upgraded F-15s a good way to increase US combat airpower.
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