The 2025 National Defense Authorization limits divestment of F-15 and F-22 aircraft in order to maintain current fleet levels. In 2022 DOD planned to reduce the inventory of these aircraft in order to redirect those funds to newer programs. Unfortunately those older planes are still needed to keep adequate force levels.
The retirement of the oldest aircraft was decided because of the high costs that it would take to upgrade those fighters, so their retirement would free up resources to upgrade the rest of the two fleets.
The NDAA states:
Sec. 8164 prohibits divesting or prepare to divest any F-15 aircraft unless the Secretary of Defense certifies
to the Committees on Appropriations of the House of Representatives and the Senate that such aircraft will
be replaced in a manner that maintains the current total aircraft assigned at a given unit and the readiness of
such unit.
The F-15E Strike Eagle fighters currently in service have two different engines, specifically 119 F-15Es powered by the Pratt&Whitney F100-PW-220 turbofan and 99 powered by the F100-PW-229. The newer -229 engines have a thrust rating of 29,000 lb, while the older -220 stops to 23,500 lb.
The Air Force planned to divest all Strike Eagles with the -220 engine by FY28, shrinking the fleet from 218 to 99 aircraft, using the freed-up resources to upgrade those 99 aircraft. The FY24 NDAA already limited the number of aircraft that could be retired from 119 to 68.
The FY25 NDAA is going to prevent the divestment of all 119 aircraft from happening for the foreseeable future, according to lawmakers.
For those with contracts relating to the F-15E and EX, it looks like you have a few more years of this business.
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