Singapore purchases 12 more F-15SG
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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". -
Japan ugrading their F-15J/DJ
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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. -
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 -
Off tangent a bit..
F5 replacement. Would you like to see Typhoon or F35?
Personally, I prefer the Typhoon. RSAF is getting too Americanised. -
Sukhoi SU - 30!Originally posted by LRRP:Off tangent a bit..
F5 replacement. Would you like to see Typhoon or F35?
Personally, I prefer the Typhoon. RSAF is getting too Americanised.
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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.Originally posted by Lance_han:Sukhoi SU - 30! 
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BREAKING!!! F-15s Grounded Again
We just got this breaking news at Military.com in a few minutes ago and I wanted to get the word out to DT readers...
An informed DT reader told me this afternoon the Air Force had re-grounded its fleet of F-15s after they were returned to flight last week.
Military.com reporter Bryant Jordan got the details...
Barely more than a week after returning the F-15 Eagle fleet to flight the Air Force is once again grounding most of the planes, Military.com has learned.
F-15 models A through D -- a total of 442 planes -- were ordered grounded by Air Combat Command,Langley Air Force Base, Va., late on Nov. 27, ACC spokesman Maj. Thomas Crosson said in an interview.
The latest problem is with cracks in the planes' metal support beams, called longerons, that run the length of the aircraft, and make up the sill on which the canopy sits, Crosson told Military.com.
The entire F-15 fleet was ordered grounded in early November after the break up and crash of a Missouri Air National Guard Eagle. The Air Force began lifting the restrictions on the fleet Nov. 19 - starting with F-15E Strike Eagles - following aggressive inspections of the planes.
ACC called for the new groundings after metallurgical analysis of the planes suggested there could be possible cracking problems with the longerons.
Officials now are working at Warner Robins Air Force Base, Ga., to develop an inspection list that will be sent out to F-15 maintainers across the Air Force.
Crosson said the list should be completed in a day or two, and will include a timeframe for how long the actual inspections should take.
He could not say how long it would before the latest restrictions would be lifted from the entire fleet.
-- Christian
http://www.defensetech.org/ -
It is intentional, to a certain extent. All about interoperatibility.Originally posted by LRRP:Off tangent a bit..
F5 replacement. Would you like to see Typhoon or F35?
Personally, I prefer the Typhoon. RSAF is getting too Americanised.
I wouldn't touch Russian equipment, not because of their lack of quality, but the effort to overhaul the entire logistics system would be a waste of time. -
Typhoon for me too
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Is it really that bad? I remember Russian equipment had some extent of interoperability with their american counterparts. Or maybe we should try adapting Western weapons and avionics with russian technology, like japan and her MIGs?Originally posted by LazerLordz:It is intentional, to a certain extent. All about interoperatibility.
I wouldn't touch Russian equipment, not because of their lack of quality, but the effort to overhaul the entire logistics system would be a waste of time. -
Japan have Migs? As far as i know, the only time they did 'have' Migs is when the Soviet pilots defected with their planes such as MIG-25 IN 1976.Originally posted by Lance_han:Is it really that bad? I remember Russian equipment had some extent of interoperability with their american counterparts. Or maybe we should try adapting Western weapons and avionics with russian technology, like japan and her MIGs?
But i do agree and support your idea as so combinng the best of Russian aircraft and Western weapons and avonics. -
DATE:29/11/07
SOURCE:Flightglobal.com
USAF: F-15s risk catastrophic design weakness
By Stephen Trimble
The US Air Force Boeing F15A-D Eagle fleet is grounded after preliminary findings of a crash investigation show signs of a design weakness.
Air Combat Command (ACC) ordered the stand-down until the airframes can be inspected. An inspection checklist is being prepared by the Warner-Robins Air Logistics Center, an ACC spokesman says.
An ongoing investigation of a 2 November crash is focusing on potential failure of the F-15Â’s upper longerons near the canopy seal.
Recent inspections found cracks in this same area on two other F-15Cs. A Boeing simulation analysis shows such cracks could lead to “catastrophic failure”, the air force says.
The second grounding comes a week after the full F-15 fleet returned to flight. The initial order to ground the fleet came immediately after the 2 November crash, in which the aircraft partially disintegrated in mid-air during a routine training flight above Missouri.
http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2007/11/29/219948/usaf-f-15s-risk-catastrophic-design-weakness.html -
I'm saying you would have to add a totally new logistics supply chain etc.Originally posted by Lance_han:Is it really that bad? I remember Russian equipment had some extent of interoperability with their american counterparts. Or maybe we should try adapting Western weapons and avionics with russian technology, like japan and her MIGs?
We do have Russian equipment, but not at the level of fighter aircraft.
India incorporates Israeli technology into her Russian aircraft, and that's the extent of it. -
Yup, the F-15s are back to flying in Japan!
Ok, seriously, I just wanted to share this pic but couldn't find anywhere else to put it up. Wait, they remotely look like f-15s, so may be not totally unrelated, right? -
Ground those 2 pilots! They've insufficient distance seperation between aircraft in formation take off!Originally posted by Blockhead:Yup, the F-15s are back to flying in Japan!
Ok, seriously, I just wanted to share this pic but couldn't find anywhere else to put it up. Wait, they remotely look like f-15s, so may be not totally unrelated, right?
The USAF is really pushing hard for more F-22s. -
DATE:05/12/07
SOURCE:Flightglobal.com
USAF F-15s remain grounded as more cracks found
By Graham Warwick
US Air Force Boeing F-15A-Ds are to remain grounded, even after structural inspections are completed, until investigation of the November crash is complete and a solution to fuselage longeron cracking is developed.
The F-15s had been returning to flight after undergoing inspections, called time compliance technical orders (TCTO), but on 3 December the head of USAF Air Combat Command, Gen John Corley, ordered the aircraft to remain grounded.
ACC says the decision followed a briefing on the investigation into the 2 November crash of a Missouri Air National Guard F-15C following structural failure, in which investigators reported they had found additional longeron cracking in the mishap aircraft.
Longeron cracks were found in the area of the cockpit sill (from Flight cutaway of the F-15A)
Since ordering inspection of all F-15A-Ds, the USAF has found longeron cracks in two aircraft operated by the Oregon Air National Guard. Both were built in the early 1980s, and are about the same age as the Missouri mishap aircraft, says ACC.
Additional TCTOs were ordered on 29 November and so far more than 195 of the USAF’s 445 F-15A-Ds have undergone these inspections, says the command. “The TCTOs are still out there, and aircraft will still undergo inspection, but even if they pass they will not fly,” says ACC.
The command does not know whether the solution to the cracking problem will be “a repair, more TCTOs or what, and we are not putting a date to it.”
Grounding of the F-15s continues to be used by US Air Force leadership to underline its need for additional funding to continue procurement of the Lockheed Martin F-22A beyond the planned 183 aircraft.
http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2007/12/05/220089/usaf-f-15s-remain-grounded-as-more-cracks-found.html -
Originally posted by duotiga83:
http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2007/12/05/220089/usaf-f-15s-remain-grounded-as-more-cracks-found.html
Grounding of the F-15s continues to be used by US Air Force leadership to underline its need for additional funding to continue procurement of the Lockheed Martin F-22A beyond the planned 183 aircraft.
Looks like this is one of the possible reasons why there is a sudden wave of structural faults in the F-15 recently... -
F-15's replacement: F-22A
The below link have this clip shows the Raptor firing missiles and decoys.
http://player.clipsyndicate.com/view/283/463519?cpt=8&wpid=79 -
Oh I wun be doing that. Those are just the aerial acrobatic team doing their stuntsOriginally posted by Shotgun:Ground those 2 pilots! They've insufficient distance seperation between aircraft in formation take off! -
.Officials stand down F-15 A-D models until further notice
US Air Force | Dec 6, 2007
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LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va: The commander of Air Combat Command directed the stand-down Dec. 3 of all ACC F-15 A through D model aircraft until further notice.
The decision follows additional information received from the ongoing investigation of the Nov. 2 F-15C mishap that resulted in the loss of that aircraft.
Gen. John D.W. Corley, ACC commander, also recommended the grounding of all other A through D model aircraft in other Air Force major commands, including those under the operational control of U.S. combatant commanders.
Monday's findings from the accident investigation board indicate that a recently discovered defect may be more extensive and found in more aircraft than initially thought. These findings, based on a metallurgical analysis of the mishap aircraft, continue to focus on the F-15's upper longerons near the canopy of the aircraft. Additional cracks have been discovered in these longerons. The longerons are major structural components that run along the length and side of the aircraft.
Technical experts with the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center at Robins Air Force Base, Ga., are developing a specific inspection technique for the suspect area based on the recent findings. However, unlike previous inspections, the inspected aircraft will not be immediately returned to flight.
The duration of the stand-down is pending. Aircraft will not be returned to operational status until the F-15 A-D model findings and data have been analyzed, required inspections have been accomplished and the necessary repair or mitigation actions have been completed.
Computer simulations have indicated a catastrophic structural failure could result from cracks in the longerons. To date, longeron cracks have been discovered in an additional four aircraft. These aircraft are awaiting further engineering instructions before they are returned to operational status.
Air Combat Command officials continue to work with those in the Air National Guard, the Air Force Reserve and sister major commands in Europe and the Pacific, as well as with joint and coalition partners, to ensure mission coverage.The stand-down does not affect the F-15E Strike Eagle
http://www.defencetalk.com/news/publish/airforce/Officials_stand_down_F-15_A-D_models_until_further_notice100014488.php
The latest stand-down of F-15A-D. -
DATE:13/12/07
SOURCE:Flightglobal.com
USAF begins new crack checks as F-15s stay grounded
By Graham Warwick
A fourth wave of inspections has begun on US Air Force Boeing F-15 Eagles, as the service widens the search for fatigue cracking. So far cracks have been found in the fuselage longerons of eight F-15C fighters.
This will be the third time USAF F-15A-D fighters have gone through checks, but even if cleared they will not return flight until after an investigation into the 2 November crash of an F-15C due to structural failure is completed.
F-15E Strike Eagles have been returned to flight, and Air Combat Command says 222 of its 224 E models have been inspected and cleared for operations. The remaining two are in depot maintenance.
Of the USAF's 442 F-15A-D models, 435 have undergone the first inspection (seven are in depot), and 425 of those have undergone a second inspection, called a time compliance technical order (TCTO).
The ACC says these two TCTOs resulted in the discovery of longeron cracks in the area of the canopy on eight F-15Cs: four with the Oregon Air Nation Guard; two at Kadena AB in Japan; one at Tyndall AFB, Florida; and one with the Missouri Air National Guard, which also operated the aircraft that crashed. All the affected aircraft were built between 1978 and 1985.
The latest TCTO check, the third involving the A-D models, began on 11 December and expands the inspection area on the longerons. This comes after additional defects were found during examination of the F-15C that crashed after breaking apart in flight. The new non-destructive inspections will take 18h for single-seaters and 22.5h for two-seaters.
http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2007/12/13/220277/usaf-begins-new-crack-checks-as-f-15s-stay-grounded.html -
lately keep reading about the japanese wanting to replace their old F4 and F15.....that makes me wonder why are we getting the F15....
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The Japanese F-15 are of the much earlier models while ours are top of the line new aircraft so there is a difference my friend...Originally posted by audiovideo:lately keep reading about the japanese wanting to replace their old F4 and F15.....that makes me wonder why are we getting the F15.... -
if i am not wrong the japanese operated the F15 even before the Iseralis...Originally posted by audiovideo:lately keep reading about the japanese wanting to replace their old F4 and F15.....that makes me wonder why are we getting the F15....
sotheir F-15 is very old... probably the end of their service life....
they are looking for a replacement... and with their $$, will probably buy top of the line a/c... liek the F-22 if the US is willing to sell... -
wrong assumption.....Israel is the 1st F-15 operator outside of USA.......Originally posted by spencer99:if i am not wrong the japanese operated the F15 even before the Iseralis...