Air Force Begins Massive High-Tech F-15 Upgrade to Stay in Front of Chinese J-10 of which the first stage will be completed in 5 years (2021, while the second will complete in 16 years (2032) ... Meanwhile, China’s J-10 maintains air superiority while they await the deployment of their next generation fighter long before 2032.
Retitled: USAF wastes money in a futile attempt to appear as if it is doing something to maintain air superiority.
I believe you are correct, a placebo. It is still an ancient airplane. Most of these airplanes are bent and probably not capable of flying the performance envelope. They say you can’t equate to a vehicle this old because they are “maintained” differently. Maybe not but the airframes are OLD. We need new airplanes not a remodel of the old one. More like ancient one.
Not much more than window dressing. Have you climbed in an F-15 anytime in the last few years or walked under one? They are beat to hell. The 15E models leak hydraulic fluid like a sieve. They are worn out. You can only replace seals for so long before the cylinder bores become worn. There is enough of the equivalent of bondo on the airframes to patch up a rust bucket. The skins look like an ocean on a windy day.
Our pilots deserve better but they also deserve better than what is supposed to pass for leadership.