F-15X: USAF Seems Interested

They haven't released the USAF Budget yet.....

It's late due to the Gov being in partial shutdown mode for most of the last month or so.

They haven't released the USAF Budget yet.....

It's late due to the Gov being in partial shutdown mode for most of the last month or so.

Yes, and now with Trump's wall coming. They will have even less to spend....

I doubt that any action from the National Emergency declaration for the wall will make it into the budget.

I think the point is that they will have less to spend because the wall money apparently (some portion of) the wall money comes out of the milcon account.

https://m.washingtontimes.com/news/2019 ... -says-hel/

[quote
I have a very hard time believing Mattis was in favor of the F-15X! Do you have a source???[/quote]

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/ ... -15x-44207

[quote
I have a very hard time believing Mattis was in favor of the F-15X! Do you have a source???

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/ ... -15x-44207[/quote]


No direct quote from Mattis just unnamed sources from Bloomberg.

Do I need to remind the members that Mattis was a Career US Marine Corp General. Clearly, buying F-15X's instead of additional F-35's. Wouldn't be in the interest of the USMC.

Why should any of the F-35 customers accede to any US request to Divert their orders.to.the USAF? Those coulntries have been waiting for years for the arrival of their jets and no way will they want their plans and schedules blown up .That's why they sign contracts.

Indeed. Why should Boeing's customers accede to any US request to divert their orders?
This isn't my premise: it was the premise in the AFA article on Boeing's supposed capacity advantage.
Which when looked at, doesn't exist.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/business ... y,amp.html

The planned F-15X purchase originated from an assessment of the Air Force's needs by career analysts
in the Pentagon's independent cost assessment office. It's won favor from White House budget
officials who agreed it would fill a niche for an aircraft capable of carrying a heavy load of ordnance,
according to one of the people.

Which is what we have been saying: an OSD diktat. Nothing more.
CAPE largely being a creature of the Deputy SecDef and all.

Best to read the original article at the source but USAF still appears interested?
https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/aviation/a26413900/air-force-buying-new-f-15/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social-media&utm_campaign=socialflowTWPOP&src=socialflowTW

By Kyle Mizokami
Feb 19, 2019
An article at Bloomberg has revealed the USAF will request eight F-15X fighters in its budget. The service plans to buy 80 fighters over five years. That's enough to fit out a wing of 72 aircraft, divided into three squadrons of 24 planes each, with eight spares. The F-15X will come in two versions, a single seat F-15CX and a twin seat F-15EX. According to Aviation Week & Space Technology, other than crew size the two jets will be identical.
Supporters say the F-15X is meant to complement, not replace the F-35. The lack of stealth makes it pretty clear the F-15X can never replace a stealthy fighter, but it can make stealth fighters better by acting as a flying magazine ...At $80 million the F-15X is a relatively inexpensive way to triple or even quadruple the firepower of a pair of USAF fighter jets.
The F-15X looks to be a “go,” but a lot can happen in five years. If the defense budget remains flat or begins to contract over the next two years buying a new fighter could go out the window, especially if only 80 aircraft are planned.

Don't let that fool you, the USAF is not "interested", they are being forced to buy them.

Think about why they say that they need them over the F-35. They say that it can carry far more than the F-35 yet will only be stateside since it's not stealthy. When will a US based fighter ever need to carry that many missiles and how could the F-35 not perform that same mission?

What does 80 aircraft really accomplish, 3 ANG squadrons?

I hope this is all a ploy to increase the F-35 build rate.

Don't let that fool you, the USAF is not "interested", they are being forced to buy them.

Think about why they say that they need them over the F-35. They say that it can carry far more than the F-35 yet will only be stateside since it's not stealthy. When will a US based fighter ever need to carry that many missiles and how could the F-35 not perform that same mission?

I will never happen anyways.....

Best to read the original article at the source but USAF still appears interested?
https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/aviation/a26413900/air-force-buying-new-f-15/?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social-media&utm_campaign=socialflowTWPOP&src=socialflowTW

By Kyle Mizokami
Feb 19, 2019
An article at Bloomberg has revealed the USAF will request eight F-15X fighters in its budget. The service plans to buy 80 fighters over five years. That's enough to fit out a wing of 72 aircraft, divided into three squadrons of 24 planes each, with eight spares. The F-15X will come in two versions, a single seat F-15CX and a twin seat F-15EX. According to Aviation Week & Space Technology, other than crew size the two jets will be identical.
Supporters say the F-15X is meant to complement, not replace the F-35. The lack of stealth makes it pretty clear the F-15X can never replace a stealthy fighter, but it can make stealth fighters better by acting as a flying magazine ...At $80 million the F-15X is a relatively inexpensive way to triple or even quadruple the firepower of a pair of USAF fighter jets.
The F-15X looks to be a “go,” but a lot can happen in five years. If the defense budget remains flat or begins to contract over the next two years buying a new fighter could go out the window, especially if only 80 aircraft are planned.

They can post all of the articles that they want. Yet, this will never happen. Mark my "words" the USAF will never "receive" a single F-15X.....

Don't let that fool you, the USAF is not "interested", they are being forced to buy them.

Think about why they say that they need them over the F-35. They say that it can carry far more than the F-35 yet will only be stateside since it's not stealthy. When will a US based fighter ever need to carry that many missiles and how could the F-35 not perform that same mission?

In peacetime CAP, one may need to be seen, perform a fast intercept and a longer endurance reduces any need for air refuel.

I think this can ultimately be pitched as a lead in to the PCA. With 44 F-35 sqns and a target state of 63 fighter sqns (from 56 current), this does build a case for and suggest an eventual (and decent) 19 PCA sqn offering a useful hi-lo mix of 19-44.

The risk is that if one pushes too hard that the F-35 is a replacement for the F-15, then a PCA program might never happen if its just to replace 5-6 F-22 sqns. May be too few. That may be something LM wants because they have a lock on the fighter program and eliminates the competition. Don't think the USAF wants a F-35 only fleet. That could end with just 44, not 63.