Originally Posted by
Bigpants
If the F35 Flying Pig is so great why have the USAAF just requested money to buy advance F15s?
At least partially for the same reason USN continues to buy Super Hornets. It provides a capability not matched by the F-35 and working together, they provide a greater capability than either alone. The F-35 is optimized for the air-to-ground role. The F-15 for the air-to-air role. The F-35 and F-15X both have long range passive air-to-air sensors. But the F-35 can only carry AMRAAM internally. Longer range weapons need to be carried externally, compromising stealth. So for the long range air-to-air mission the F-35 is no more stealthy than the F-15X. But the F-15X can carry far more long range missiles than F-35. F-15X is also based on the F-15E platform, which has two seats. There are advantages to having a second guy in the jet for some of these complex long range air to air missions. Plus, they are (allegedly) cheaper. Indeed Boeing has stated they will sign a firm fixed price contract for F-15X with a unit price well below the lowest unit price predicted/promised for F-35. With nearly 50 years experience building the F-15, Boeing has figured out how to get a lot of cost out of the process.