U.S. Air Force Could Lose Two Squadrons of F-15C/Ds in Fiscal 2022

摘要

The U.S. Air Force would lose two squadrons of Boeing [BA] F-15C/D air superiority fighters ifCongress enacts the service's fiscal 2022 budget plan.The Air Force plans to reduce its F-15C/Ds by 48 next fiscal year from 234 to 186. The latter isthe same number of Lockheed Martin [LMT] F-22 stealth fighters that the service has.The Air Force request could face particularly strong congressional headwinds, given that one oftwo possible replacements for the F-15C/D, the Boeing F-15EX, is not rolling off the productionline in sufficient numbers to take up the slack. By the end of fiscal 2022, the Air Force budgetsays that it will have, as now, just two F-15EXs in service. The F-15EXs are in testing at EglinAFB, Fla.