{"id":41765,"date":"2019-03-04T15:11:52","date_gmt":"2019-03-04T15:11:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2019\/03\/04\/buying-new-f-15x-fighters-for-the-us-air-force-is-unsolicited-and-unwise\/"},"modified":"2026-08-07T23:23:29","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T23:23:29","slug":"buying-new-f-15x-fighters-for-the-us-air-force-is-unsolicited-and-unwise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/commentary\/2019\/03\/04\/buying-new-f-15x-fighters-for-the-us-air-force-is-unsolicited-and-unwise\/","title":{"rendered":"Buying new F-15X fighters for the US Air Force is unsolicited and unwise"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Although President Calvin Coolidge was not an expert on air power, his famous quote, \u201cNothing in this world can take the place of persistence,\u201d should be studied and practiced today by leaders in the Office of the Secretary of Defense and the U.S. Air Force. The OSD\u2019s decision to renege on the Air Force goal of procuring only fifth-generation F-35A fighters and, instead, budget for new fourth-generation F-15Xs in the Air Force budget shows both a lack of persistence and sound logic. It also weakens Air Force support to grow its fighter force and obtain a healthy return on its large F-35A investment, and it adds to the growing list of new programs the Air Force must fund.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In just six months the Air Force appears to have changed its modernization priorities. At the Air Force Association convention in September 2018, Secretary Heather Wilson announced the goal of expanding the force size from 312 to 386 operational squadrons that included seven new fighter squadrons. There was no mention of ever buying new fourth-generation fighters \u2014 only the F-35A. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But now we learn that OSD is the driver in the F-15X decision. At an AFA symposium on Feb. 28 in Orlando, Florida, Wilson acknowledged<\/a> that the Air Force budget for 2020, when submitted to OSD, \u201cdid not include additional fourth-generation aircraft.\u201d The F-15X was added by OSD, and apparently Air Force leadership has not been able to change minds in OSD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the past 15 years, the Air Force has been both consistent and persistent in advocating only the new fifth-generation, stealthy F-35A and retiring over time its non-stealthy fourth-generation F-15s and F-16s. Now, the goal announced by the Air Force is to procure 72 new fighters per year including both F-35As and F-15Xs. <\/p>\n\n\n\t