Posted on 11/23/2020 4:33:23 PM PST by Zhang Fei
Here are nine reasons why Congress should remove the authorization to acquire the F-15EX from the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act.
1. Acquisition cost. In fiscal year 2022, the Air Force will pay $77.9 million for each fully equipped and ready-for-combat F-35A it acquires. Each F-15EX, on the other hand, will cost $87.7 million — but that’s for an airshow capability. If the Air Force wants to fly it in combat, then each jet needs a $12.2 million electronic countermeasures system known as the Eagle Passive Active Warning Survivability system, or EPAWSS, and a $900,000 targeting pod. This brings the cost of a combat-ready F-15EX to $102 million, 30 percent more than an F-35A.
2. Operational capability. The F-15EX airframe was designed 45 years ago. While many of its electronic boxes carry more modern capabilities, most were considered new technology when baby-boomers were still using a dial-up internet service. Its metal skin covering will serve as a homing beacon for modern surface-to-air missiles. To survive merely at the fringes of a peer’s air defenses, the F-15EX requires numerous other fighter and electronic countermeasures jets to protect it. In mock air-to-air combat training, stealth fighters destroy fourth-generation fighters like the F-15EX at a kill ratio that often exceeds 16-to-1. Perhaps those numbers are wild exaggerations; perhaps the F-35 is really equal to, say, just two of those $102 million fighters. Somehow paying $204 million for a capability $77.9 million can buy does not seem like a good deal for America.
3. Operating costs. One of the biggest arguments for the F-15EX is how much cheaper it will be to operate than the F-35, but even that argument is flawed. The price for fuel, oil, and the maintenance personnel it takes to launch, maintain, and repair a fighter are combined into a
(Excerpt) Read more at defenseone.com ...
F-35 & F-15 missions are completely different.
An F-35 isn’t a long range, high speed/high altitude interceptor. The F-15EX can be made in the 2 seat version to have a weapons officer. The F-35 can’t.
An F-35’s Stealth doesn’t work for Supersonic interception, anyway, because the 30 foot flame coming out the back of the plane kind of gives your position away.
The New F-15’s will keep the F-22’s from getting worn out. Using a F-22 to intercept a Turboprop patrol bomber is one of the biggest wastes of Taxpayer money there is. Send up a Gulfstream with 4 sidewinders on the wings.
If the Future F15EX’s will attack with one F-22 or F-35 and the Stealth plane will direct the high speed missiles carried by the F-15’s and even further on, a Stealth UAV will do that, maybe directed by the backseater in the F-15.
The kind of stuff they’d like to do with existing planes, but they’re old and out of warranty and could have a fatal fatigue problem like the C models.
F-35 & F-15 missions are completely different.
An F-35 isn’t a long range, high speed/high altitude interceptor. The F-15EX can be made in the 2 seat version to have a weapons officer. The F-35 can’t.
An F-35’s Stealth doesn’t work for Supersonic interception, anyway, because the 30 foot flame coming out the back of the plane kind of gives your position away.
The New F-15’s will keep the F-22’s from getting worn out. Using a F-22 to intercept a Turboprop patrol bomber is one of the biggest wastes of Taxpayer money there is. Send up a Gulfstream with 4 sidewinders on the wings.
If the Future F15EX’s will attack with one F-22 or F-35 and the Stealth plane will direct the high speed missiles carried by the F-15’s and even further on, a Stealth UAV will do that, maybe directed by the backseater in the F-15.
The kind of stuff they’d like to do with existing planes, but they’re old and out of warranty and could have a fatal fatigue problem like the C models.
“It doesnt mean we should buy them in place of f35s”
They’re not being bought in place of F-35’s. The EX is being bought to replace the worn out F-15C in air national guard units primarily for CONUS defense.
And most of the F-35’s in service now are non combat coded “airshow queens”.
“No one needs more than 640K.”
I see that you are of a different opinion... just for laughs, would you care to expand on that?
It did make for a good drone!
No.
Turkey work is calling me from the kitchen.
Observed events. The AF took about 500 f-15’s out of service.
http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?do=main.textpost&id=169da539-caa1-4167-a5c3-425a61341c29
[Observed events. The AF took about 500 f-15’s out of service.
http://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?do=main.textpost&id=169da539-caa1-4167-a5c3-425a61341c29]
You see how many missiles they can put on that thing! Something like 22~24. An F22 using its sensors can data link targeting data to those Eagles.
The airframe,tools and maintenance processes for it are well known. New avionics suite is all the pilots will really need to come up to speed on.
[You see how many missiles they can put on that thing! Something like 22~24. An F22 using its sensors can data link targeting data to those Eagles.
The airframe,tools and maintenance processes for it are well known. New avionics suite is all the pilots will really need to come up to speed on.]
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