Across the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, the Pentagon will purchase 21 fewer fighter jets than originally expected for the 2025 fiscal year, dropping a planned buy of 107 to 86.
“We're very, very fixated on being competitive with the pacing challenge [of China],” said Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall. “I think the budget that we've submitted moves us forward — not quite as fast as we would like to, but it moves us forward in the right direction while maintaining current capabilities that are essential to the nation.”
"So looking at it from Beijing's perspective, they would want to be keeping this really strong, pragmatic relationship,” Natalie Sambhi, an Australian expert on Indonesia’s national security, told Breaking Defense.
As Breaking Defense toured Boeing's Seattle area facilities where the E-7 radar plane will take shape, company officials talked about getting the bird in the air — and their vision for what it can do.
The first four lots of jets — almost half the total expected buy — will not come with conformal fuel tanks, a key part of the operational profile for what the service hopes will be its missile truck going forward.
Poland is carrying out a market evaluation of loyal wingmen aircraft as a step toward a later full acquisition program, said Maj. Gen. Cezary Wisniewski, deputy commander of the Polish Armed Forces.
New data obtained by Breaking Defense shows the so-called “flyaway” costs of the Air Force’s two fighter jets currently in production. But comparing them can make for tricky math.
A decision to slash procurement of the kits contributed to a 39 percent cost growth over a baseline estimate, causing a “significant” breach.
Strong demand for the Joint Strike Fighter means a production crunch is lurking, a top US Air Force general tells Breaking Defense. But expanding production could be risky business for industry.
Boeing declined to talk about "price and delivery schedule" on a potential F-15EX sale to Warsaw, but clearly has high hopes for Poland as a market.
Indonesian and Boeing representatives signed a memorandum of understanding for the advanced version of the F-15, but did not specify timelines or pricetags.
Last year a Boeing executive stated that the sticker price for lots 2 and 3 of the modernized F-15s would be beneath $80 million, but calculations appear to have changed.
Lt. Gen. Richard Moore, Air Force deputy chief of staff for plans and programs, also defended the Air Force's urge to mothball some old F-22s, citing the high cost to maintain the non-combat fighters.
Jerusalem previously expressed interest in the F-15s, along with F-35s, but political instability delayed the official move.