Fund the F-15X, the Plane Our Pilots Already Know How to Fly

By: - April 18, 2019

The Department of Defense made waves recently by announcing it will update the F-15 platform, to the new F-15X planes. Pentagon authorities reportedly want to purchase 80 updated versions of the famous fighters over the next five years, beginning with eight to twelve planes in FY20. Congress should grant funding for the F-15X, to preserve every possible option, contain costs, and to modernize the planes our pilots already know how to fly.

The Air Force initially resisted the call, stating a preference for more of the latest high-tech F-35s.  In February, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Dave Goldfein was asked specifically about whether the Air Force wanted the F-15X. His answer was coy: “We want to buy new airplanes.” Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson went a step further. “We want to buy 72 new aircraft a year.”

The Importance of ‘Sustainment Costs’

Significant Air Force voices have echoed the call for the F-15X, however, pointing out the necessity of a diverse mix of fighters, and the lower costs associated with the F-15X. Gen. Mike Holmes, commander of the Air Combat Command, told a roundtable at the Air Force Association that cost considerations included more than purchase price. The sustainment costs are far lower for the F-15X than for the F-35.

“There’s more to think about than just the acquisition cost. There’s the cost to operate the airplane over time. There’s the cost to transition at the installations where the airplanes are—does it require new military construction, does it require extensive retraining of the people and then how long does it take?” he said. “We’re pretty confident to say that we can go cheaper getting 72 airplanes with a mix of fifth and fourth gen than we did if we did all fifth gen.”

The Planes They Know

Most of the F-15X planes will be deployed at Air National Guard bases, to replace the aging F-15C and D fighters.  The pilots are trained and ready to use the F-15, and adapting to the new version will take little adjustment. Flying the F-35 will require years of training, and will be restricted largely to new, younger pilots. Meanwhile, the F-15 will be part of the Air Force arsenal well into the next two decades.

Chief of Staff Gen. Goldfein spoke in a recent interview with Defense News about the air war platforms of the future.  He is a clear supporter of the F-35, but he also believes strongly in the F-15. “There are four weapons systems that we have to fly into the 2030s” – the F-35, A-10, F-15, and F-16. But “the F-15C is not going to make it.”

“It’s an old airplane and getting older. It’s performed brilliantly, but the cost curves into a point where you’re spending so much money. I don’t know if you’ve ever driven an old car that dies in thousand-dollar increments. I have. It’s really painful. We have got to refresh the F-15C fleet because I can’t afford to not have that capacity to do the jobs and the missions right.”

If money were no object, the chief of staff would be delighted to focus solely on the newest possible planes. However, he said, “You’ve got to buy 72 aircraft a year. If we had the money, those would be 72 F-35s, but we’ve got to look at this from a cross-business case. The F-15 will never be the F-35. But I need an asset.”

The Pentagon must prepare immediately to face the possibility of several simultaneous regional conflicts. As it does so, our fighters will need the maximum possible flexibility of response. They must have modern planes that reservists and national guardsmen already know how to fly. Purchasing both the F-15X and the F-35 will give the Air Force the flexibility they need. Congress should approve the budget the Department of Defense is requesting.

  • RSS WND

    • WATCH: Tucker Carlson: How will AI affect work?
      Mike Rowe, still one of the best guys in the world. pic.twitter.com/06WduOhPuB — Tucker Carlson (@TuckerCarlson) March 28, 2024 For 25 years, WND has boldly brought you the news that really matters. If you appreciate our Christian journalists and their uniquely truthful reporting and analysis, please help us by becoming a WND Insider! Content created… […]
    • MSNBC: 1 man's 'election denier' is another man's TV host
      MSNBC, the "news" outfit on which the Rev. Al Sharpton has a show, briefly hired former Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, at $300,000 per year, to serve as an on-air pundit. Why did the rabidly anti-Trump, anti-Republican network make her the offer? MSNBC likely did so because 2024 is an election year; McDaniel was… […]
    • Dems' weakest case against Trump is first to go to trial
      Donald Trump was first indicted nearly a year ago, on April 4, 2023, when Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced charges against the former president over a nondisclosure agreement Trump used to buy the silence of porn actress Stormy Daniels, with whom he had apparently had a brief sexual encounter. Bragg, an elected Democrat, won… […]
    • White House adds hair-sniffing contest to Easter Egg Roll!
      It's about time again for the annual White House Easter Egg Roll. What the resurrection of Jesus has to do with eggs, chocolate candy, jelly beans or peeps is beyond me. Jesus did not arise from the dead and walk through the walls of the tomb holding an Easter basket and looking for eggs laid… […]
    • Say it, media: DEMOCRATS are prosecuting Trump
      On March 25, "Daily Show" host Jon Stewart uncorked a typical not-so-funny sermon about how Donald Trump overvaluing real estate properties was not a "victimless crime." Trump has been found liable for fraud despite no banker or financier ever claiming Trump victimized them. Then the New York Post reported talk-show host Tim Pool tweeted that… […]
    • Our subsidiarity vs. their intersectionality: How we win
      In their weekly podcast, Hollywood veteran Loy Edge and longtime WND columnist Jack Cashill skirt the everyday politics downstream and travel merrily upstream to the source of our extraordinary culture. The post Our subsidiarity vs. their intersectionality: How we win appeared first on WND.
    • The shocking beliefs of America's powerful 'elites'
      It is becoming increasingly clear that some of America's most serious problems can be traced back to our colleges and universities – or at least the ones educating the country's most powerful people. The Vietnam War era aside, it has traditionally been uncommon for events at universities to make national headlines. Absent something extraordinary, like… […]
    • Who is really behind Moscow terror attack?
      Was the Islamic State (ISIS) behind the Crocus City Hall terror attack in Moscow that killed 139 and wounded 182 on March 22, 2024, or not? The Islamic State did claim the attack, and the Western mainstream is agreed that the terror group was, indeed, behind it. On March 25, White House press secretary Karine… […]
    • Only Democrats get to lie on NBC News
      Ronna McDaniel, formerly chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, was recently hired and subsequently fired by NBC News when the "talent," unable to countenance even moderate dissent, revolted on air. The entire kerfuffle is unsurprising considering the state of modern "media." But one of the funniest moments of the McDaniel blowup came when host and… […]
    • Accept $40,000 loan offer from 'FIL'?
      Dear Dave, My wife and I owe about $40,000 on our mortgage. My father-in-law, who is a very nice and generous man, said he wants to pay off the house for us, then let us pay him back over time. We've borrowed much smaller amounts of money from him in the past, and we were… […]
  • Enter My WorldView