Posted on 12/22/2007 4:21:30 AM PST by xsrdx
Air Force inspectors have discovered major structural flaws in eight older-model F-15 fighters, sparking a new round of examinations that could ground all of the older jets into January or beyond, senior Air Force and defense officials said.
The Air Force's 442 F-15A through F-15D planes, the mainstay of the nation's air-to-air combat force for 30 years, have been grounded since November, shortly after one of the airplanes broke into large chunks and crashed in rural Missouri. Since then, Air Force officials have found cracks in the main support beams behind the cockpits of eight other F-15s, and they fear that similar problems could exist in others.
Current and former Air Force officials said that the grounding of the F-15s -- on average 25 years old -- is the longest that U.S. fighter jets have ever been kept out of the air. Even if the jets are cleared for flight, they add, it could take six months to get the pilots and aircraft back to their normal status.
(Excerpt) Read more at msnbc.msn.com ...
And no doubt expensive to fix.
Duct tape, lots and lots of it.
Whats everyones opinion of the possibility the AF brass is making a bigger dal out of this to get more F22’s.?
Fox did a report on it and I can believe it to some extent...like the kid who tells his dad his bike is broken to get the newest one....
The article gets into that, and I think there is a history of military brass doing such things.
They don’t want to fix it they want new toys to break.
Ouch/ping.
If the frame of my automobile was in serious structural condition, I would not repair, it's just time for a new car!
They quote a guy from the Center for Defense Information, that is opposed to the F-22, that they should just “fix it” as if it were a simple matter.
To which I would make two points. 1. “Fixing” a major structural failure in a 30 year old air frame that has been subjected to extreme loads is not a trivial undertaking and 2, I am not aware of any major defense procurement program the CDI has ever supported. Maybe there is one, but I don’t know about it. Can anybody fill in on that?
Pennypinching across the board is the problem, here. These planes are WAY BEYOND their intended service life.
I agree....
Get new planes.
People and the MSM can cry all they want, but these birds have exceeded their structural lifetimes.
Its a shame that the industrial/military complex has created a situation where their every move is suspicious....and we let that happen.
But the reality is, the F22 took too long to develop and cost way too much....the Air Force can hold the blame for that.
But the big question is-—
Can these aircraft be repaired?
Maybe....maybe not.
I wonder if they can build new F15’s.
The other issue with the E model is that it is limited to 6.5 Gs due to its large fuel tanks and attack mission. Less G’s equal longer life.
Good point, cuz even the Strike Eagles are getting a bit old... 
;-)
I try not to be sentimental about such things, but it seems to me that the F-15 is one heck of a great plane...and even as good as the F-22 is, would 200 of them equal the 450 F-15s being pulled (Lanchester's Square Law and all)? Plus, technological superiority or not, it means narrower deployment if we have fewer airframes out there--fewer pilots, too.
“If the frame of my automobile was in serious structural condition, I would not repair, it’s just time for a new car!”
Ok, I’ll sell you a brand new one for $100M
Now what do you say?
A long time ago, I used to build the Intergrated Circuits for the guidance systems of these.
Yep.....refueled MANY of ‘em back in my day, too. Funny how even after all these years, I still think of the F-15 as a ‘newer’ fighter...LOL!
First thing that occurred to me. With F-22s just going into production, need to throw the old ones out and just up the quantity of the new gold plated ones.
I say replace them all with drones ...
They have never stopped. The F-15K is still being built. A good question would be to look at a new production model incorporating the F-22 systems, engines and maneuverable thrust. It would likely come out superior to the SU-30 and Eurofighter. It still wouldn't be the F-22, but it could be much more affordable, and add more strike capability to boot.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.