{"id":27378,"date":"2018-07-30T13:07:42","date_gmt":"2018-07-30T13:07:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2018\/07\/30\/boeings-new-f-15x-may-replace-an-aging-fleet-of-f-15cd-eagles\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T20:57:55","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T20:57:55","slug":"boeings-new-f-15x-may-replace-an-aging-fleet-of-f-15cd-eagles","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/air\/2018\/07\/30\/boeings-new-f-15x-may-replace-an-aging-fleet-of-f-15cd-eagles\/","title":{"rendered":"Boeing\u2019s new F-15X may replace an aging fleet of F-15C\/D Eagles"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Air Force\u2019s fleet of F-15 C and D Eagle fighters<\/a> are aging faster than F-35 joint strike fighters are being fielded, a gap in the transition that some think needs to be filled. And even when more F-35s have been fielded, F-15s could still fill a tactical role to help the Air Force carry out its mission. Boeing\u2019s new, single-seat F-15X design may be the Air Force\u2019s answer to that issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Very little has been made known about the F-15X initiative, which was first reported by Defense One, and the Air Force\u2019s Pentagon officials<\/a> could not provide comment on it, only telling Air Force Times that \u201cthere is no acquisition program\u201d with respect to the new platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But multiple media outlets still reported this week that the F-15X was being pitched to the Air Force by Boeing. Alternatively, some reports state that the Air Force first solicited Boeing for the new fighter. Regardless, the possibility of a new platform to replace aging the fourth-generation F-15 fighters could alleviate the strain put on F-22 Raptors <\/a>and make up for the F-35s slow roll-out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Created during the Cold War, the more than 40-year-old F-15 has been the U.S. Air Force\u2019s primary air-to-air fighter jet<\/a> for decades. The aircraft has been known for its range of operational roles, however, to include close-air support in the Global War on Terrorism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dan Grazier, the Jack Shanahan Military Fellow at the Project On Government Oversight, writes extensively on military procurement, to include the F-35 acquisition. He said that while he can\u2019t comment on the specific designs of the F-15X, it is generally better to develop weapon systems from \u201can evolutionary approach.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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U.S. Air Force Col. John York, 144th Operations Group commander, taxis in an F-15C Eagle during his fini flight with the 144th Fighter Wing at the Fresno Air National Guard Base Jan. 8, 2016. (Air National Guard photo by Senior Airman Klynne Pearl Serrano)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhenever the military possesses a proven basic design like the F-15, the Pentagon should focus its efforts on maintaining and improving it until the state of technology changes to the point where the basic design is no longer viable,\u201d Grazier told Air Force Times. \u201cUntil that happens, there is no reason to continually reinvent the wheel. If it is possible to incorporate improved technology into a design that has already been bought and paid for, then it only makes financial and common sense to do so.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\t