Singapore purchases 12 more F-15SG

last SG · 2007-11-06T15:26:29+00:00

The combined requirement as stated by Singapore's Air force Chief in 2005 was a total of around 60 to 80 new warplanes to replace the A-4SU and F-5S/T fleets...

FireAndHell SG

Well........some ppl here equate old designs with old frames and chassis.....even though these ppl call themselves educated...... Rolling Eyes

^Delta^ SG

Well said.

Sadly there are lots of such ppl ard.

LazerLordz SG

And you see why I refuse to waste my time.

BabyRex SG

After the "OMG! The Russians, the Chinese and the Indians have better planes than our F-15s". (Ex with Indian Air Force SU30MKI)
The USAF is now trying the "OMG! Our F-15s are dropping out of the sky".
They sure are using whatever means to get the budget for more Raptors.
Next, we may start seeing USAF F-15s falling apart while on ground.

If the Israelis could fly their F-15 and land it with just 1 wing and it didn't broke up in mid-flight with such structural damage, I just can't imagine how it could have just broken up in mid-flight if the aircraft was properly serviced and maintained.
Structural failures don't just appear suddenly.

justcooler SG

What a pity, you can't even differential between

an old design with an old airframe

and an old design with a new airframe ? Shocked Shocked

BabyRex SG

Wondering whether you even READ others posting or CHECK what you have quoted before making any comments.
What a pity! You can't even read! Mad Mad Mad

tankfanatic SG

dude you misunderstood! lolololol i bet you read it in one blink...only

Shotgun SG

From what I understand from some of the Eagle drivers, there has been a history of "lack of maintenance" esp with regards to the Alpha and Bravo series of the F-15s flown by the ANGs. A lot of that was attributed to the collapse of the Soviet Union, where the enemy they've been training to fight all this while, just dropped dead. Funding was directed away into other more "humanitarians" needs and I guess, that repercussion is felt through the USAF til today.

In a way, I'd sympathize the USAF for being the hardest hit. The Navy still got their F/A-18E/Fs, but had to end up scrapping their entire Tomcat fleet for it. The USAF scrapped their Ravens and haven't got a dedicated jammer since. That few years of funding decrease hurt them.

CM06 SG

The airframe in question is the F-15 c/ds, the F-15 E frame that we are buying brand new is bigger and further reinforced so that it can be a "Strike Eagle" and can carry larger payloads. 30 years of flying and only facing structural problems now ....that's pretty impressive. Hard to even find cars that can still run after 30 years no?

Even the RESET program where the US strips the old Abrams down to bare bones inspect every part and replace defective ones is for tanks that were made in the 1980s. So yeah draw your own conclusions.

BabyRex SG

You are right!
The USAF's was expecting the Raptors to replace all the F-15 A/B/C/D but not the Es, probably the reason for the lack of structural overhaul. The Es are not that old and probably not due for anything major yet ( 1st delivery in 1988 ).

Unfortunately, USAF was shortchanged and currently had only t milk this to the fullest. Ever wonder why the Es can be quickly put back on the flightline? The longer the A/B/C/Ds are grounded, the stronger the case for more Raptors. Its the other operators (Japan, Israel, Saudi) who had to downgrade their air defences, while the Pentagon plays politics.

Shotgun SG

Structural problems were screaming since 2002 when a vertical stabilizer detached in flight. The pilot ejected and died. That didn't affect the decision for just barely 180 Raptors.

coolant SG

Thats mainly because F-22 simply at this stage is far less capable in the A2G role than F-15E and its variants. F-22 has to store any munitions in the internal bay, the limitation greatly constrains Raptors choice of weapon. A role that F-22 cant fulfill, of course F-15E is not intended to be replaced by F-22.

^Delta^ SG

The F-22A is intended as a replacement for the F-15A/B and (hopefully, eventually) the F-15C/D if more are built beyond the currently approved number of 183. With 183 F-22As distributed among 7 squadrons, it is a far cry from the original program requirement for 750. The USAF would be severely stretched.

The FB-22 has been the proposed replacement for the F-15E but the status of this program is still uncertain. Its a pity indeed. Politics are the greatest enemy of any modern weapons program, not foreign adversaries.

FB-22 concept pictures below:

coolant SG

the fact is FB-22 as a project is formally died, and USAF now formally calls all their Raptor as F-22 by getting rid of A from F/A-22, where A stands for Attack.

duotiga83 SG

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2007/11/22/219824/entire-f-15-fleet-returns-to-flight.html

DATE:22/11/07
SOURCE:Flightglobal.com
Entire F-15 fleet returns to flight
By Barbara Cockburn

The US air force is to return its entire fleet of around 700 Boeing F-15s to flight following rigourous inspections as a result of an accident that led to the loss of an aircraft in early November.

A Missouri Air National Guard F-15C crashed while engaged in air combat training with three other F-15s on 2 November. The pilot ejected safely.

F-15 operators in Japan, Israel and Saudi Arabia followed the USA in grounding their respective fleets of the aircraft type shortly after the accident.

Gen. John D W Corley, commander, Air Combat Command, says: "As of today (21 November), 219 of the 224 E-models and 294 of the 442 A-D models in the inventory have been inspected and cleared for flight."

He says that "the circumstances of the mishap indicated catastrophic structural failure", and that the "cause of the mishap remains under investigation".

duotiga83 SG

Japan ugrading their F-15J/DJ
---------------------------------------------------------

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2007/11/26/219819/mitsubishi-to-lead-japanese-f-15-upgrades.html

DATE:26/11/07
SOURCE:Flight International
Mitsubishi to lead Japanese F-15 upgrades
By Siva Govindasamy

Upgrades to Japan's Boeing F-15J fleet will likely be led by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, with the company expecting a contract for the project in the first quarter of 2008.

Funding is likely to be approved in the coming fiscal year, with the defence ministry seeking a ¥112 billion ($1 billion) budget for the programme. MHI is likely to upgrade 32 of the air force's 200 F-15s in the first project phase.

The programme has an added urgency as Tokyo is delaying plans to procure a new batch of fighters to replace its ageing McDonnell Douglas F-4s. It has asked for information on the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor and F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, Boeing F-15 and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, Dassault Rafale, and the Eurofighter Typhoon. However, the USA is refusing to release information on the stealthy F-22, the aircraft that Japan covets the most, forcing the programme into limbo.

The stand-off has resulted in Japan starting a study to develop next-generation stealth technology, which if successful could lead to the production of its first indigenous fighter in almost 30 years and give it a long-desired ability to counter China's growing air power. Observers believe the study could also be an attempt to force the USA to release information on the F-22, especially since an indigenous programme would cost several times more than an outright purchase.

Upgrades to Japan's F-15s and possibly even some of its F-4s could be given priority in the coming years, although the latter have not been included in the fiscal year 2008 budget.

Boeing has been talking to overseas operators of the F-15 about radar upgrades, after receiving a $70 million contract to retrofit US Air Force and Air National Guard F-15Cs with Raytheon's APG-63(V)3 active electronically scanned array radar.

The USA is also looking to upgrade its F-15Es with AESA radars, with the APG-63(V)4 competing against a derivative of Northrop Grumman's APG-81 developed for the JSF. Such systems would give the F-15 enhanced capabilities such as those sought by Japan to counter possible threats from China and North Korea.

duotiga83 SG

DATE:26/11/07
SOURCE:Flight International
US Air Force accepts
By Craig Hoyle

An Accident Investigation Board (AIB) study into the loss of a US Air National Guard Boeing F-15C on 2 November has indicated that the aircraft broke apart after suffering a catastrophic structural failure aft of its cockpit, says the US Air Force.

While the cause remains under investigation, the service had by 21 November returned 513 of its almost 700 F-15s to operational status following inspections conducted since they were grounded the day after the crash.

"The AIB is now focused on the area just aft of the cockpit and slightly forward of the [engine] inlets," says Air Combat Command (ACC) commander Gen John Corley. Conceding that there is a "degree of risk" in returning the F-15 to flight before the investigation has concluded, he notes: "Grounding a fleet of nearly 700 frontline aircraft has significant operational impact."

The USAF on 11 November instructed its F-15 units to return their aircraft to flight following safety inspections, and 219 of its 224 F-15Es have now been cleared. The first resumed combat operations over Afghanistan on 12 November, and the ACC concludes: "The F-15E is not susceptible to the same potential cause of the Missouri mishap."

Some 294 of the service's 442 earlier F-15s have also regained operational status.

http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2007/11/26/219846/us-air-force-accepts.html

LRRP SG

Off tangent a bit..

F5 replacement. Would you like to see Typhoon or F35?

Personally, I prefer the Typhoon. RSAF is getting too Americanised.

Lance_han SG

Sukhoi SU - 30! Laughing

tankee1981 SG

Actually i also prefer Russian planes such as the Su-30 and maybe the future PAK-FA but its very unlikely for us to get their aircraft. Very Happy

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