Aging Aircraft: USAF F-15 Fleet Sees Renewed Interest
Mar 29, 2022 04:58 UTC by Defense Industry Daily staff
Latest update [?]
F-15E Loaded Afghanistan external link
F-15E, Afghanistan
March 29/22: Departure Following the closure of the F-15C Weapons Instructor Course at Nellis Air Force Base, the Eagles assigned to the base have started to depart for other bases. The final course, Weapons Instructor Course 21-B, flew its last flights on December 8, 2021.
Keep reading for the whole story with recent events put in contextDII
AIR F-15C Over Washington
“Array of Aging American Aircraft Attracting Attention” discusses the issues that accompany an air force whose fighters have an average age of over 23.5 years – vs. an average of 8.5 years in 1967. One of the most obvious consequences is the potential for fleet groundings due to unforseen structural issues caused by time and fatigue. That very fear is responsible for the #1 priority placed on bringing new KC-X aerial tankers into the fleet to complement the USA’s 1960s-era KC-135 Stratotankers.
It can also affect the fighter fleet more directly.
Following the crash of a Missouri Air National Guard F-15C aircraft Nov 2/07 (see crash simulation external link), the US Air Force suspended non-mission critical F-15 flight operations external link on Nov 3/07. While the cause of that accident is still under investigation, preliminary findings indicate that a structural failure during flight may have been responsible. In response, Japan suspended its own F-15 flights, which left them in a bit of a bind – even as Israel’s F-15s joined them on the tarmac. As the effects continue to spread and the USAF and others continue to comment on this situation, DID continues to expand its coverage of this bellwether event. A conditional restoration of the American F-15A-D fleet to flight status was soon overturned by the re-grounding of that fleet as a result of the report’s conclusions – a status that remains only been partially lifted. Meanwhile, the accident report has been released (compete with video dramatization) and the status of the remaining aircraft will have significant implications for the USAF’s future F-15 fleet size. Not to mention its other procurement programs.
https://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/aging-aircraft-usaf-f-15-fleet-grounded-04149/
