10 February 2021 (16:26-UTC-07 Tango 06) 22 Bahman 1399/27 Jumada t-Tania 1442/29 Wu-Yin 4718

After decades of wasting taxpayer’s money on ‘advanced’ aircraft projects that went nowhere, U.S. Air Force officials have finally pulled the heads outta the….clouds and approved the purchase of a much more practical fighter aircraft, or have they?

In July 2020 (under the administration of President Donald Trump), the United States Air Force (USAF) shelled-out $1.2-billion for eight F-15EX, much cheaper than the development nightmare known as the F-35, of between $77-million to $110-million purchase price per F-35, and that does not include the billions of dollars spent on the decades of development!  Add to that the per flight operating costs of the F-35, which currently are $3-thousand dollars more than the old F-15C Eagle.  Total lifetime cost of one F-35 is expected to be more than $1-trillion!  To top it off, insult-to-injury, the S/VTOL concept of the F-35 was directly influenced by the Soviet/Russian Yakovlev 141!  Unfortunately the F-15EX will not take the place of the F-35, but act as a complementary aircraft to the F-35.

(See also: USAF F-35A “COMBAT READY” IN UTAH

and TAXPAYER PARIAH F-35 CALLS IDAHO HOME!

and don’t forget  F-35 PARTS ARE MADE IN CHINA!)

On 02FEB2021, the USAF completed its first flight of the F-15EX, over Saint Louis, Missouri.  The aircraft was piloted by Matt Giese, Boeing’s chief test pilot for the EX.

Official Boeing first flight video:

In August 2020, it was announced that Oregon Air National Guard’s 173rd Fighter Wing (FW) and 142nd FW would be the lucky units to get the new EX-citement Eagle.  The 173rd will act as the ‘formal training unit’ for F-15EX conversion.  Lieutenant Colonel Nathan Rice says conversion shouldn’t take too long because “The F-15EX is almost 90% compatible with the F-15C Model.”

One of the advanced features of the EX Eagle is the 20-thousand hours life-span of the airframe: “….a long time, about double the service the life of an F-15C. Not only is the airframe designed to last for a long time, the F-15EX also has an ‘Open Mission System’ which allows the computer and avionics software to be more adaptable and more easily updated in the future. This adaptability is key, as we know that technology is continuing to accelerate.”-Colonel Jeff Edwards, 173rd FW commander

Two F-15EX fighters will be sent to Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, by the end of the first quarter of 2021, for testing. The USAF plans to eventually buy at least 144 F-15EX Eagles.

Official Boeing video explaining advance technologies on the Advanced F-15 test-bed:

Vehicle I-D: OREGON F-15C KOTKAT LENTÄÄ SUOMEN YLI

Let’s not forget the other taxpayer rip-off, the F-22 Raptor (which could’ve been avoided by simply upgrading the F-15):

ROBOT PAINTERS TO SAVE THE F-22 RAPTOR?

USAF ADMITS F-22 STEALTH JET IS A PAIN TO MAINTAIN, AND THAT’S JUST THE ‘SKIN’!