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  • #31
    just a couple of snipits from the article:


    http://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone...-100m-per-copy


    First off, we still haven't seen the final draft of the Pentagon's proposed 2020 budget. Things can change, but many of the details we are about to unveil aren't dependent on the exact dollar figure the Air Force sets aside for F-15X. Also, I can't stress enough that, just as I originally discussed in detail, the F-15X is not a Boeing ploy to disrupt the F-35A program. The USAF's top uniformed officer and the CEO of Lockheed have both confirmed this as fact, echoing exactly what I wrote last summer. Many media outlets will continue to blindly pit the two programs against one another as if it is a competition, but it's not. The USAF's target inventory goals for the F-35 will be unaffected by the limited scope of the F-15X initiative.

    Once again, don't take my word for this, take it from Lockheed's own CEO, Marillyn Hewson, who said the following during an earnings call last week:

    “If they choose to have an order of the F-15, it won’t be at the expense of F-35 quantities... I'm hearing that directly from leadership in the Pentagon, and I think that's an important point for me to make. It's not just our suspicion, but I've been told that directly.”

    The Air Force's Chief of Staff, General David Goldfein, offered more detail and further underscored this reality in statements made to Defense News's Jeff Martin:

    ...Goldfein said Saturday that the decision to possibly refresh the F-15 fleet comes down to the need for more fighters in service, regardless of generation.

    “They complement each other,” he said. “They each make each other better.”

    When asked if that meant compromising for quantity over quality, he said that would not be the case.

    “We’ve got to refresh the F-15C fleet because I can’t afford to not have that capacity to do the job and the missions.” Goldfein explained. “That’s what this is all about. If we’re refreshing the F-15C fleet, as we’re building up the F-35 fleet, this is not about any kind of a trade.”

    He added that Air Force needs to buy 72 fighters a year to get to the amount they need in the future — and to drive average aircraft age down from 28 years to 15 years. And while Goldfein might want all 72 to be fifth generation F-35s, budgetary concerns likely won’t let that happen.

    “If we had the money, those would be 72 F-35s. But we’ve gotta look at this from a cost/business case.” he explained. “An F-15 will never be an F-35. Never. But I need capacity.”


    Air Force Magazine recently inquired to Air Force Undersecretary Matt Donovan about the F-15X. Although he wouldn't address the initiative directly, he did paint a picture of the logic behind it:

    “History being what it is, and because we never quite got to the procurement ramp we needed to” on the F-35, “we’re in a bit of a pickle,” Donovan said. “We don’t have the capacity we need” in the fighter force. Donovan’s speech to the AFA audience focused heavily on the need to increase the size of the Air Force to 386 combat squadrons in order to fulfill the National Defense Strategy of engaging China and Russia in Great Power Competition.

    He noted that, under original plans, USAF expected to have 736 F-35s by now, but “we have 174, ... so … we need to increase our fighter procurement, replacement rate.”

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    • #32
      Looks like the F-15EX really is here to stay. At least the US DoD wants them for 2020...

      Comment


      • #33
        Originally posted by jlvfr View Post
        Looks like the F-15EX really is here to stay. At least the US DoD wants them for 2020...
        good to see.

        hopefully it survives politics....

        Comment


        • #34
          GE gets the engine selection. The current plan is 144 aircraft.
          https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zon...e-by-air-force

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          • #35
            An EX being assembled.
            https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zon...-the-air-force

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            • #36
              Eglin AFB anticipates its F-15EX aircraft.
              https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/y...-base-in-2021/

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              • #37
                Perhaps, a replacement of all veteran Eagles?
                https://www.airforcemag.com/f-15ex-c...els-usaf-says/

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                • #38
                  A squadron to Portland Oregon, in 2023.
                  https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zon...5ex-eagle-unit

                  Comment


                  • #39
                    The mother of all upgrades!

                    Comment


                    • #40
                      Originally posted by surfgun View Post
                      A squadron to Portland Oregon, in 2023.
                      https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zon...5ex-eagle-unit
                      I've not heard of the 'role' changing for the remaining C-model squadrons, so I'm assuming their new EX-model birds will be flow single seat but WITH the conformal tanks.

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                      • #41
                        Originally posted by JA Boomer View Post
                        I've not heard of the 'role' changing for the remaining C-model squadrons, so I'm assuming their new EX-model birds will be flow single seat but WITH the conformal tanks.
                        Boomer, the F-15EX is a single seat multirole aircraft. It can handle air superiority to mud moving missions....all glass cockpit, fly by wire, improved avionics and twice the bomb load of the F-35. It has enjoyed upgrades based on technology learned from the F-22/35 programs...this is just like BITD the M-60A3 tank had a better set of thermal sights than the first tranche of M1s because the technology development of thermal sights were accelerating quickly based on research done for the M1.

                        First aircraft to Eglin AFB for developmental & operational testing. Normally these are done serially but with a pretty mature airframe it is believed they can successfully collapse the 2 into one.

                        https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Disp...dy-for-f-15ex/


                        Air National Guard aircraft assignments.

                        https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Disp...-f-35a-f-15ex/
                        “Loyalty to country ALWAYS. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it.”
                        Mark Twain

                        Comment


                        • #42
                          Originally posted by Albany Rifles View Post
                          Boomer, the F-15EX is a single seat multirole aircraft. It can handle air superiority to mud moving missions....all glass cockpit, fly by wire, improved avionics and twice the bomb load of the F-35. It has enjoyed upgrades based on technology learned from the F-22/35 programs...this is just like BITD the M-60A3 tank had a better set of thermal sights than the first tranche of M1s because the technology development of thermal sights were accelerating quickly based on research done for the M1.

                          First aircraft to Eglin AFB for developmental & operational testing. Normally these are done serially but with a pretty mature airframe it is believed they can successfully collapse the 2 into one.

                          https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Disp...dy-for-f-15ex/


                          Air National Guard aircraft assignments.

                          https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Disp...-f-35a-f-15ex/
                          Hi Albany,

                          I would suggest that the technological improvements of the EX-model are not derived from the F-22 or F-35 programs (Lockheed products) but more developed in parallel over the years for some of the more advanced F-15E derivatives starting with the K- and SG-models and ultimately the QA- and SA-models that have the two extra weapons stations and fly-by-wire (in addition to fancy cockpits, avionics, and radar).

                          My question was more will the current C-model squadrons be re-roled when equipped with the F-15EX for multirole work, or will they remain dedicated to air-to-air, homeland defense, and supporting the F-22 fleet?

                          I'm also curious what the operational configuration of the F-15EX will be. We know it will be very similar to the F-15QA (an evolved F-15E Strike Eagle). So it will have a two-place cockpit and the conformal tanks.

                          When the EX replaces the C-model sqaudrons they will operational fly them with just a single pilot (no weapons system operator - hence my question about re-role), but will they operationally use the conformal tanks (accepting the modest increase in performance vs 2 or 3 drop tanks but unable to slick the jet for a dogfight)?

                          Hope that makes sense.

                          Comment


                          • #43
                            Hey Boomer,

                            Not disagreeing with your comment regarding technology. But what I have seen in 31 years of procurement & R&D is that technological improvements are not linear....scientists talk and technology advancements at A influence B. The technology advancements there raised the technology across the board. That is more what I meant. Not the proprietary stuff...but when the government owns the data rights they can transfer, albeit for a fee, to another vendor. That is really what I meant.

                            And from what I sense....nothing specific...I see the C's doing exactly as you posited.

                            Cheers.
                            “Loyalty to country ALWAYS. Loyalty to government, when it deserves it.”
                            Mark Twain

                            Comment


                            • #44
                              Originally posted by Albany Rifles View Post
                              Not disagreeing with your comment regarding technology. But what I have seen in 31 years of procurement & R&D is that technological improvements are not linear....scientists talk and technology advancements at A influence B. The technology advancements there raised the technology across the board. That is more what I meant. Not the proprietary stuff...but when the government owns the data rights they can transfer, albeit for a fee, to another vendor. That is really what I meant.
                              Makes sense and I totally agree!

                              Comment


                              • #45
                                So as nearly as I can tell this is due to a couple of things, 1 because of operations in the middle East until recently we burnt up a lot of airframe hours and life that had gone into previous fleet lifespan projections. 2. F-35 production isn't quite as quick as had been hoped and ramping that up isn't cost effective and a lot of the current production is going to partner countries. 3. Pilot shortfall, it's fairly cost effective to have a F-15 pilot stay in the air guard flying a F-15 compared to transition to a new aircraft, or train a new pilot.

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