Air Force is buying new F-15X's... and it's a huge mistake

[makattak]

According to this author:

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/the-air-force-wants-to-buy-more-f-15x-jets-and-its-a-huge-mistake

He points out survivability, drag issues etc.... that would doom any F-15X in any foreseeable conflict, even "low threat" areas like Syria where the danger is Surface-to-air, owing to the lack of stealth. 


At first I was nodding along with his analysis, but one thing he wrote made me question his conclusions.

That one thing is the F-15X would have capactiy of 22 air-to-air missiles. (Likely a similar complement of air-to-ground). From other reading, I see the F-35 has a capacity of something like 6-10.

The author never touches on this, but I recall another article about the F-35 retaining its stealth capabilities and using its sensors and targeting to guide missiles from another aircraft onto target.

As such, the F-15X's may be planned as a weapons platform for the F-35. Given the price I am reading in the article, it seems really high for such a purpose, but if the author missed this possibility, he is likely missing other issues as well.

[Devonai]

Just send waves of Super Tucanos after the threat, piloted by drunk APS members.

[MechAg94]

I thought the F-35 costs were pretty high.  How does the cost come in that low?  And if they are ignoring development costs, what would an F-22 cost?

[MillCreek]

Just send waves of Super Tucanos after the threat, piloted by drunk APS members.

Ooh!

[TommyGunn]

   So .... we're going to buy what is really just an up rate of a forty year old design?  The F-15  was a great fighter .... still is,  but it is old.   We need new designs -- but not money vacuums like the F-35.

[Regolith]

I thought the F-35 costs were pretty high.  How does the cost come in that low?  And if they are ignoring development costs, what would an F-22 cost?

It's the fly-away cost, i.e. ignoring the development costs. The F-22's flyaway cost is $150 million, so almost twice as much.

I can't find a good apples-to-apples cost comparison for the two when development costs are included. All the costs for the F-35 I can find are projected through to 2070, include expected maintenance, and are adjusted for expected inflation, where as the figures I can find for the F-22 are all in 2010 dollars and don't include fleet maintenance for the past 9 years.  

[French G.]

I am going to take author is a moron for $1000 Alex.

Yeah, in a perfect world we would fly F-22s. Same world we wouldn't be flying B-52s anymore either. Procurement is broken and in any near peer war the limited number of super planes will be awesome until their limited number dictates their operational use. If you have twenty F-22 in theater and the factory might make more in there years, guess what, ur screwed. Numbers in the air. Make sorties.

Also, I know first-hand that correctly employed a F-18A can spank an F-22. ECM pods and tactics are magical.