USAF looking at possibly reducing F15EX Eagle 11 orders.
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USAF looking at possibly reducing F15EX Eagle 11 orders.
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zon...-is-in-trouble
It seems all a bit fraught bearing in mind they only came into service a year ago, it exactly what you would call a procurement success if it happens.
Officials within the U.S. Air Force are examining options for canceling the service’s new F-15EX Eagle II fighter, a type that was only accepted into the inventory a little over a year ago, after buying just 80 examples. In what would be a remarkable turnaround, should it happen, the capping of the F-15EX fleet would be good news for the F-35A stealth fighter, procurement of which is currently being slowed to ensure more funds for the initial Eagle II buys. The War Zone originally broke the F-15EX story in 2018.
In its budget request for Fiscal Year 2023, the Air Force has reduced its expected overall F-15EX purchase to 80 aircraft, after originally saying it would buy at least 144 to replace its aging F-15C/D Eagles and perhaps also to supplant its F-15E Strike Eagles. If the service does follow through on this new plan, the final Eagle II would be purchased in Fiscal Year 2024.
It seems all a bit fraught bearing in mind they only came into service a year ago, it exactly what you would call a procurement success if it happens.
The Air Force is looking to reduce the size of its F-15EX buy to the point that it is likely to be more trouble than it’s worth.
Officials within the U.S. Air Force are examining options for canceling the service’s new F-15EX Eagle II fighter, a type that was only accepted into the inventory a little over a year ago, after buying just 80 examples. In what would be a remarkable turnaround, should it happen, the capping of the F-15EX fleet would be good news for the F-35A stealth fighter, procurement of which is currently being slowed to ensure more funds for the initial Eagle II buys. The War Zone originally broke the F-15EX story in 2018.
In its budget request for Fiscal Year 2023, the Air Force has reduced its expected overall F-15EX purchase to 80 aircraft, after originally saying it would buy at least 144 to replace its aging F-15C/D Eagles and perhaps also to supplant its F-15E Strike Eagles. If the service does follow through on this new plan, the final Eagle II would be purchased in Fiscal Year 2024.
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Too many hyper-expensive toys … you can’t have everything. Whether it’s the right force mix with Mad Vlad on the rampage is the question … to which I have no answer.
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If they only buy the 80 maybe that opens the door for another FMS sale of the other 64.
(I understand that the Saudis are happy with their S versions, which I think the EX are related to)
(I understand that the Saudis are happy with their S versions, which I think the EX are related to)
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How Ukraine is turning the tide of warfare..
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zon...th-f-15ex-cuts
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zon...th-f-15ex-cuts
Top Air Force leadership says some F-15 units will end up with drones or no planes at all now that only 80 F-15EXs will be bought.
In speaking to members of Congress today, the Air Force's top leadership confirmed that the plan, as it exists now, is to cut planned purchases of F-15EX Eagle II fighter jets down to 80 from the originally projected total of at least 144. In addition, the service's most senior officials said that they are no longer looking to replace the bulk of the F-15C/D Eagle fleet with new F-15EXs, that unmanned platforms will be a key component of the final force structure mix after the retirement of the F-15C/D Eagles, and that some units flying those older jets today could ultimately shift to entirely non-flying roles.
Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall and Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown talked about the future of the F-15EX and related issues, among many other things, at a hearing before the House Armed Services Committee today regarding their service's Fiscal Year 2023 budget proposal. That budget request had indicated, but not made entirely clear, that the total orders for Eagle IIs had been trimmed back to 80, which had already raised a number of questions, as you can read about more in The War Zone's reporting on this matter just yesterday.
"We're accelerating the buy [of F-15EXs] to buy it out," Kendall explained when asked about why the Air Force was asking to buy more of the jets than expected in the proposed Fiscal Year 2023 budget, but also capping the total purchases at 80. "We're actually reducing the total quantity substantially."
The Secretary of the Air Force declined to confirm or deny whether the Air Force had considered canceling the F-15EX program outright, as has been previously reported. He also would not elaborate on what options the service might have looked at when deciding the fate of the Eagle II.
The F-15EX story, which The War Zone first broke, emerged in 2018. The Air Force ordered the first Eagle IIs in 2020 and took delivery of the initial pair of test jets last year.
Kendall and Brown both told legislators that, despite the reduction in total planned purchases, the F-15EX remained an important part of the Air Force's expected future combat jet mix. During the hearing, Brown very pointedly highlighted the Eagle II's large payload capacity, especially compared to the stealthy F-35A Joint Strike Fighter, something Air Force officials have cited as a key capability the new jets will provide for more than a year now.
At the hearing, Brown specifically disclosed that the F-15EX is slated to be the first Air Force aircraft to be certified to employ its future Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile (HACM), which is currently expected to enter service in the 2027 timeframe. The service has previously talked about Eagle IIs eventually being able to carry hypersonic and other outsized weapons, but without providing specifics.
An artist's conception of a Lockheed Martin hypersonic cruise missile based on the company's design for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC) program. The HAWC effort, which is still ongoing, is expected to lead into the Air Force's HACM program. Joseph TrevithickThough Kendall and Brown made it clear the Air Force now only wants to buy 80 F-15EXs and that the jets the service does buy are still set to be an important component of the force structure going forward, their remarks left many other questions unanswered. The most important of these is what will happen to the remaining F-15C/D Eagles, which Kendall said bluntly "are going to have to come out of the inventory at some point." Somewhere around 200 F-15C/Ds remain in service, with five Air National Guard wings flying the majority of the type and another two active squadrons also still flying it. A third ended its tenure in Europe just today and will be transitioning to the F-35A. Only one of the guard units, the 125th Fighter Wing of the Florida Air National Guard is slated to transition to F-35As.
The Air Force's original plan to purchase at least 144 F-15EXs would have theoretically allowed for a one-for-one replacement of the Eagles currently assigned to five Air National Guard squadrons, as well as one acting as the service-wide schoolhouse for the type, and have enough airframes leftover for test and development purposes. This will not be possible with only 80 airframes even when it is factored in that one of the units is transitioning to the F-35. In addition, what would happen to the two F-15C/D-equipped squadrons assigned to the active component 18th Fighter Wing at Kadena Air Base on the Japanese island of Okinawa has long been unclear.
Converting any F-15C/D units not expected to get F-15EXs to squadrons flying F-35As has long seemed the most likely option. Joint Strike Fighters are already replacing Eagles with one Air Force squadron at RAF Lakenheath in the United Kingdom. As mentioned earlier, the Florida Air National Guard's 125th Fighter Wing is set to trade its F-15C/Ds for F-35As, too, something that now seems to have been an early indication of the changing F-15EX plans.
A US Air Force F-35A Joint Strike Fighter at RAF Lakenheath in the United Kingdom. USAFHowever, both Brown and Kendall indicated that squadrons equipped with F-15C/Ds now might not get traditional fighter jets as replacements and might end up operating unmanned platforms instead.
Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall and Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown talked about the future of the F-15EX and related issues, among many other things, at a hearing before the House Armed Services Committee today regarding their service's Fiscal Year 2023 budget proposal. That budget request had indicated, but not made entirely clear, that the total orders for Eagle IIs had been trimmed back to 80, which had already raised a number of questions, as you can read about more in The War Zone's reporting on this matter just yesterday.
"We're accelerating the buy [of F-15EXs] to buy it out," Kendall explained when asked about why the Air Force was asking to buy more of the jets than expected in the proposed Fiscal Year 2023 budget, but also capping the total purchases at 80. "We're actually reducing the total quantity substantially."
The Secretary of the Air Force declined to confirm or deny whether the Air Force had considered canceling the F-15EX program outright, as has been previously reported. He also would not elaborate on what options the service might have looked at when deciding the fate of the Eagle II.
The F-15EX story, which The War Zone first broke, emerged in 2018. The Air Force ordered the first Eagle IIs in 2020 and took delivery of the initial pair of test jets last year.
Kendall and Brown both told legislators that, despite the reduction in total planned purchases, the F-15EX remained an important part of the Air Force's expected future combat jet mix. During the hearing, Brown very pointedly highlighted the Eagle II's large payload capacity, especially compared to the stealthy F-35A Joint Strike Fighter, something Air Force officials have cited as a key capability the new jets will provide for more than a year now.
At the hearing, Brown specifically disclosed that the F-15EX is slated to be the first Air Force aircraft to be certified to employ its future Hypersonic Attack Cruise Missile (HACM), which is currently expected to enter service in the 2027 timeframe. The service has previously talked about Eagle IIs eventually being able to carry hypersonic and other outsized weapons, but without providing specifics.
An artist's conception of a Lockheed Martin hypersonic cruise missile based on the company's design for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) Hypersonic Air-breathing Weapon Concept (HAWC) program. The HAWC effort, which is still ongoing, is expected to lead into the Air Force's HACM program. Joseph TrevithickThough Kendall and Brown made it clear the Air Force now only wants to buy 80 F-15EXs and that the jets the service does buy are still set to be an important component of the force structure going forward, their remarks left many other questions unanswered. The most important of these is what will happen to the remaining F-15C/D Eagles, which Kendall said bluntly "are going to have to come out of the inventory at some point." Somewhere around 200 F-15C/Ds remain in service, with five Air National Guard wings flying the majority of the type and another two active squadrons also still flying it. A third ended its tenure in Europe just today and will be transitioning to the F-35A. Only one of the guard units, the 125th Fighter Wing of the Florida Air National Guard is slated to transition to F-35As.
The Air Force's original plan to purchase at least 144 F-15EXs would have theoretically allowed for a one-for-one replacement of the Eagles currently assigned to five Air National Guard squadrons, as well as one acting as the service-wide schoolhouse for the type, and have enough airframes leftover for test and development purposes. This will not be possible with only 80 airframes even when it is factored in that one of the units is transitioning to the F-35. In addition, what would happen to the two F-15C/D-equipped squadrons assigned to the active component 18th Fighter Wing at Kadena Air Base on the Japanese island of Okinawa has long been unclear.
Converting any F-15C/D units not expected to get F-15EXs to squadrons flying F-35As has long seemed the most likely option. Joint Strike Fighters are already replacing Eagles with one Air Force squadron at RAF Lakenheath in the United Kingdom. As mentioned earlier, the Florida Air National Guard's 125th Fighter Wing is set to trade its F-15C/Ds for F-35As, too, something that now seems to have been an early indication of the changing F-15EX plans.
A US Air Force F-35A Joint Strike Fighter at RAF Lakenheath in the United Kingdom. USAFHowever, both Brown and Kendall indicated that squadrons equipped with F-15C/Ds now might not get traditional fighter jets as replacements and might end up operating unmanned platforms instead.
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That answered my question … Force Mix in a changed World. Thank you!
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There was more I just pasted the top bit 
I skimmed through the whole 3-hour session of the FY2023 testimony from SecAF (previously a long-term professional procurement DoD civilian going back to F-22/B-1 programs - not just a token Biden appointee), CSAF and Chief Space Ops.
The requested program is $5.2 Billion underfunded + the effects of current 8.5% inflation haven't even been worked yet.
They are nowhere near doing what they want to do in terms of funding for hypersonic missiles, F-35A procurement, missile warning /defense or sustainment.
Over the next 5 years, 600 plus aircraft will be replaced with only 200.
Not being allowed to retire the requested qty of A-10s last year caused problems - maintainers due to transfer to F-35A were not available and a new unit set up had to be delayed - same problem expected this year.
CSAF does not see any more "uncontested" environment actions hence why A-10 needs to be divested ASAP.
The plan is for F-15EX to replace F-15C/D on the ANG units that do CONUS Air Defense. The buying rate of the 80 is being speeded up.
Personally I see more F-15EX being ordered if GOP get in power 2024 and funding is ramped up - PACAF commander had requested some, it will be the first fighter to carry hpersonic weapons, and it is very easy to add capability having a lot of Gen 5 capabilities (except stealth).
In addition, the CSAF sees them operating as weapons carriers in a mixed package with F-35A but he also sees unmanned platforms doing some of this.
Everything to do with UCAVs is up in the air at the moment requiring further work - including the makeup of individual sqns having a mixture of manned aircraft and UCAVs.
SecAF stated that the manned fighter element of Next Generation Air Dominance will cost "multple $100Ms" per aircraft.
NV Rep was particularly upset about Draken losing the Nellis aggressor contract - there appeared to be a lot of left hand / right hand going on right up to the last minute but the USAF was insistent it wanted more representative Gen 5 threat hence why 7 x F-35A were being integrated into the Nellis orbat (happening now).
It also appeared that the USAF has started a whispering campaign that there may not be a competition for KC-Y now and that it will go to the KC-46A by default after KC-X - Gen Brown stated "no decision" on whether to compete it had been made yet.
This exchange also shows that the clueless Biden SecDef appointee had no idea what the state of play of many USAF / Space programs was:
The requested program is $5.2 Billion underfunded + the effects of current 8.5% inflation haven't even been worked yet.
They are nowhere near doing what they want to do in terms of funding for hypersonic missiles, F-35A procurement, missile warning /defense or sustainment.
Over the next 5 years, 600 plus aircraft will be replaced with only 200.
Not being allowed to retire the requested qty of A-10s last year caused problems - maintainers due to transfer to F-35A were not available and a new unit set up had to be delayed - same problem expected this year.
CSAF does not see any more "uncontested" environment actions hence why A-10 needs to be divested ASAP.
The plan is for F-15EX to replace F-15C/D on the ANG units that do CONUS Air Defense. The buying rate of the 80 is being speeded up.
Personally I see more F-15EX being ordered if GOP get in power 2024 and funding is ramped up - PACAF commander had requested some, it will be the first fighter to carry hpersonic weapons, and it is very easy to add capability having a lot of Gen 5 capabilities (except stealth).
In addition, the CSAF sees them operating as weapons carriers in a mixed package with F-35A but he also sees unmanned platforms doing some of this.
Everything to do with UCAVs is up in the air at the moment requiring further work - including the makeup of individual sqns having a mixture of manned aircraft and UCAVs.
SecAF stated that the manned fighter element of Next Generation Air Dominance will cost "multple $100Ms" per aircraft.
NV Rep was particularly upset about Draken losing the Nellis aggressor contract - there appeared to be a lot of left hand / right hand going on right up to the last minute but the USAF was insistent it wanted more representative Gen 5 threat hence why 7 x F-35A were being integrated into the Nellis orbat (happening now).
It also appeared that the USAF has started a whispering campaign that there may not be a competition for KC-Y now and that it will go to the KC-46A by default after KC-X - Gen Brown stated "no decision" on whether to compete it had been made yet.
This exchange also shows that the clueless Biden SecDef appointee had no idea what the state of play of many USAF / Space programs was:
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Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
Total buy currently planned at 104.
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zon...e-been-delayed
This Is Why F-15EX Deliveries Have Been Delayed
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zon...e-been-delayed
This Is Why F-15EX Deliveries Have Been Delayed
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Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zon...want-out-of-it
F-15EX Fleet Too Small For What Commanders Want Out Of It
Air Force leadership touts the F-15EX’s unique abilities and mission sets, but most of the 104 jet fleet will have to focus on one thing.
F-15EX Fleet Too Small For What Commanders Want Out Of It
Air Force leadership touts the F-15EX’s unique abilities and mission sets, but most of the 104 jet fleet will have to focus on one thing.
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zon...n-japan-report
F-15EX To Be Based At Kadena Air Base In Japan: Report
Ai total of 36 F-15EX Eagle IIs could be poised to reinstate a permanent fighter force at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa.
F-15EX To Be Based At Kadena Air Base In Japan: Report
Ai total of 36 F-15EX Eagle IIs could be poised to reinstate a permanent fighter force at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa.
Ecce Homo! Loquitur...
https://www.twz.com/air/f-15ex-fleet...r-force-budget
F-15EX Fleet To Be Cut Down To 98 Jets In New Air Force Budget
The U.S. Air Force has announced that it is looking to cut back its total planned purchases of F-15EX Eagle IIs from 104 to 98 jets as part of the rollout of its proposed Fiscal Year 2025 budget.
The expected size of the F-15EX fleet has fluctuated significantly over the years, but a clearer picture of the service's plans has been steadily coming into focus. This new cut also comes despite senior service officials regularly touting the F-15EX's capabilities and expressing their desire to have more of these aircraft if possible.
Details about the planned F-15EX cuts first came at a media roundtable that The War Zone and other outlets attended last Friday ahead of today's rollout of the Fiscal 2025 budget request. In the upcoming fiscal cycle, the Air Force now wants to buy 18 instead of 24 Eagle IIs.
The Pentagon's entire $850 billion proposed budget for the 2025 Fiscal Year is constrained by the provisions of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, or FRA, which Congress passed and President Joe Biden signed into law last year…..
A fleet of just 98 F-15EXs is in line with what is otherwise known or has been reported about the Air Force's plans for the Eagle II to date. The Air Force has publicly announced that three Air National Guard units – Oregon's 142nd Wing, California's 144th Fighter Wing, and Louisiana's 159th Fighter Wing – will each receive a squadron of 18 F-15EXs, or 54 jets in total.
Together with the six test jets, this leaves 38 Eagle IIs, roughly two squadrons worth, to be assigned to other units.
Plans for a dedicated F-15EX training unit have been scrapped and Oregon's 173rd Fighter Wing, which had served as the schoolhouse unit for the F-15C/D Eagle, is now set to help train pilots to fly the F-35A instead.
The F-15EX's training pipeline will be blended together with the existing one for the F-15E Strike Eagle. There have been no indications one way or the other that any F-15EXs will be set aside specifically for training.
As The War Zone has noted in the past, conversion training on F-15EX after initial training on F-15E could potentially be done at the squadron.…
F-15EX Fleet To Be Cut Down To 98 Jets In New Air Force Budget
The U.S. Air Force has announced that it is looking to cut back its total planned purchases of F-15EX Eagle IIs from 104 to 98 jets as part of the rollout of its proposed Fiscal Year 2025 budget.
The expected size of the F-15EX fleet has fluctuated significantly over the years, but a clearer picture of the service's plans has been steadily coming into focus. This new cut also comes despite senior service officials regularly touting the F-15EX's capabilities and expressing their desire to have more of these aircraft if possible.
Details about the planned F-15EX cuts first came at a media roundtable that The War Zone and other outlets attended last Friday ahead of today's rollout of the Fiscal 2025 budget request. In the upcoming fiscal cycle, the Air Force now wants to buy 18 instead of 24 Eagle IIs.
The Pentagon's entire $850 billion proposed budget for the 2025 Fiscal Year is constrained by the provisions of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, or FRA, which Congress passed and President Joe Biden signed into law last year…..
A fleet of just 98 F-15EXs is in line with what is otherwise known or has been reported about the Air Force's plans for the Eagle II to date. The Air Force has publicly announced that three Air National Guard units – Oregon's 142nd Wing, California's 144th Fighter Wing, and Louisiana's 159th Fighter Wing – will each receive a squadron of 18 F-15EXs, or 54 jets in total.
Together with the six test jets, this leaves 38 Eagle IIs, roughly two squadrons worth, to be assigned to other units.
Plans for a dedicated F-15EX training unit have been scrapped and Oregon's 173rd Fighter Wing, which had served as the schoolhouse unit for the F-15C/D Eagle, is now set to help train pilots to fly the F-35A instead.
The F-15EX's training pipeline will be blended together with the existing one for the F-15E Strike Eagle. There have been no indications one way or the other that any F-15EXs will be set aside specifically for training.
As The War Zone has noted in the past, conversion training on F-15EX after initial training on F-15E could potentially be done at the squadron.…
