Over 400 F-15's Could be Permanently Grounded

This has been coming for some time as the Air Force sold its soul for the F-22 ($132 million per, sans R&D costs) and the F-35 JSF. We could keep churning out F16's at "only" $40 million a pop but the fighter mafia in charge of the skies dug in and insisted on the highest priced toys. We may yet see the F-16 production line extended and the overall buy of F-22's and F-35's reduced as the bill payer.

• The Air Force's 442 F-15A through F-15D planes, the mainstay of the nation's air-to-air combat force for 30 years, have been grounded since November, shortly after one of the airplanes broke into large chunks and crashed in rural Missouri.
• Even if the jets are cleared for flight, they add, it could take six months to get the pilots and aircraft back to their normal status.

Serious stuff, as it could leave us with greatly reduced air superiority capability for an extended period. Also seriously costly no matter how this turns out. The military will blame Congress for not funding their wish lists while creating the problem itself via intransigence on the need for the F-22 over the last decade. Congress deserves blame for not letting the Air Force retire planes when needed to manage the fleet. Sadly, voters get the military and Congress they deserve.
- posted by john @ 3:05 PM