FY2020 DoD Budget

[quicksilver]

If the new electronics reduces the weight in the front of the aircraft

Even the new passive attack displays are coming in overweight...

What is a “passive attack display”?

[basher54321]

This ?

https://www.airforce-technology.com/new ... y-5697747/

[quicksilver]

Thx.

Didn’t know there was such a thing. A bit of a contradiction in terms...

[aussiebloke]

Didn’t know there was such a thing. A bit of a contradiction in terms...

This might explain the passive aspect better:

Passive Attack Sensor System (PASS) provides long range and night visual identification in contested and non contested airspace. The program integrates the Sniper Advanced Tareting Pod (ATP) on the F-15C to provide visual identification using the Sniper pod's infrared spectrum capbilities.

https://apps.dtic.mil/procurement/Y2014 ... B_2014.pdf

That PASS and PAD (Passive Attack Display) and part and parcel of the same system:

The government anticipates soliciting for a new repair contract for the F-15C/D Passive Attack Sensor System's (PASS) Passive Attack Display (PAD).

https://govtribe.com/opportunity/federa ... 50516q0004

The F-15C has a 10.4 inch PAD. I think, judging by F-15X images it will have a much bigger display:
https://www.ieeinc.com/iee-upgrading-pa ... pad-f-15cd
https://www.militaryaerospace.com/artic ... ckpit.html

[spazsinbad]

Navy Fighter Readiness Nearing 80 Percent Mission Capable Target
05 Apr 2019 Ben Werner

"CAPITOL HILL – The Navy now boasts its Super Hornet fleet is routinely 63 to 75 percent mission capable, a significant jump from the fall when the Navy struggled to keep half of its F-18s ready to fly....

...[US] lawmakers remain concerned the Navy is still taking risks in the way it manages strike fighter readiness, Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.), the ranking member of the House Armed Services subcommittee on tactical air and land forces, said in her opening statement Thursday. “[The Navy] has an identified shortfall of 54 aircraft, which amounts to one carrier air wing,” Hartzler said. “We need to better understand what impacts this has to overall readiness and what we can we do to improve the situation from a modernization standpoint,” Hartzler said.

The F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter program – which the Navy and Marine Corps are still in the early stages of incorporating into the fleet – has a high readiness rate for all three fighter variants, Vice Adm. Mat Winter, the F-35 program executive officer, said during Thursday’s hearing. “We’re on a trajectory to reach 80-percent capability by the end of the year,” Winter said.

Currently, the F-35A variant used by the Air Force has an availability rate of 61 percent, the F-35B short take-off and vertical landing variant has an availability rate of 64 percent, and the F-35C carrier variant has an availability rate of 84 percent, Winter said.

When F-35 squadrons deploy, Winter said they now bring spare parts packages with them. With those packages, Winter said, “those mission capability rates average between 65 and 85 percent.”

Winter’s office has worked with to suppliers to build up spare part inventories at depots and on the flight line, Winter said. Now maintainers have the right parts on hand, so they don’t have to keep going back to the manufacturer to order more parts. The F-35 program is doing a better job of keeping maintainers stocked with parts such as canopies, blade shields and wingtips. And when possible, Winter said, flight line maintainers now have the authority to fix parts.

“We can get spare parts to maintainers one of two ways – get new parts to flight lines, but also giving the authorities for maintainers to fix parts on the flight line,” Winter said.

Plus, as the program has matured and is nearing full-rate production, Winter said the production line ironed out many of the problems that caused the first F-35s to require more maintenance. “The aircraft itself, lot over lot over lot, is getting more reliable,” Winter said. “Therefore, it doesn’t break as often, so therefore it’s more ready.”"

Source: https://news.usni.org/2019/04/05/42436

[doge]

F-35C carrier variant has an availability rate of 84 percent,

I'm really very surprised at this % rate. Seriously. ; Because, on the web, I saw many claims that the C model's % rate is low.
But in fact it was different... In reality it was very very high. 84%!! Excellent!!

[marsavian]

https://www.defensedaily.com/lawmakers- ... air-force/

The Air Force proposes to procure 80 F-15EX aircraft over the five-year future years defense program (FYDP), while cutting 24 F-35As and reducing its planned budget for Next-Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) by $4 billion, according to FY ’20 documents.

Expect the initial indications of true congressional approval or disapproval to emerge during the House and Senate Armed Services Committee markups, said Roman Schweizer of the Cowen Washington Research Group in a March 28 email to investors.

“To us, it would appear that the Air Force is constraining or reducing fifth- and sixth-gen fighter production and development in favor of continuing fourth-gen production,” Schweizer said. He noted that Pentagon officials have suggested the decision was made at least in part to maintain a strong fighter jet industrial base, while replacing the F-15C with a similar airframe (Defense Daily, March 22).

“Based on recent Boeing foreign and U.S. orders for F-15 (Qatar), F/A-18E/F (Navy) and T-X (Air Force), we assume stable and/or healthy production at Boeing’s St. Louis facility even without the new F-15EX purchases,” Schweizer said. “We find it surprising that looking forward to future fighter programs, the Pentagon would reduce NGAD spending that could help U.S. aerospace primes employ their engineering staff on developing new high-end advanced aircraft.”

[mixelflick]

So much for the F-15EX won't "take away from the F-35".

In fact, it's even worse from that. In addition to lowering the F-35 buy, it's eating into Next Generation Air Dominance. Shanahan's antics are poised to eclipse Gate's own stupidity, which the USAF is paying for dearly now. If Shanahan gets his way, we'll be paying for it for decades more to come.

How did things get so bad? I'll tell you how.. It was when people started assuming air superiority was a given. We started to feel like it was our birthright. And because of that, men may end up dying (in the air and on the ground).

Absolutely despicable..

[marsavian]

I was not aware of the NGAD spending being reduced but if true then the F-15 sustainment concept has gone too far if it's actually reducing spending on new cutting edge technology beyond the F-35. It's F-15C now but after they have all been replaced what's to stop a future Boeing crony repeating the same argument for a one for one replacement for the original F-15E too ? Congress needs to assert itself strongly and go back to USAF Plan A for the F-15C, wing SLEP which of course could also repeated for the F-15E down the line.

[sferrin]

So much for the F-15EX won't "take away from the F-35".

In fact, it's even worse from that. In addition to lowering the F-35 buy, it's eating into Next Generation Air Dominance. Shanahan's antics are poised to eclipse Gate's own stupidity, which the USAF is paying for dearly now. If Shanahan gets his way, we'll be paying for it for decades more to come.

How did things get so bad? I'll tell you how.. It was when people started assuming air superiority was a given. We started to feel like it was our birthright. And because of that, men may end up dying (in the air and on the ground).

Absolutely despicable..

And let's not forget Shanahan is a former Boeing exec. Maker of the F-15 if anybody didn't know that. I doubt it has anything to do with his ignorance of air superiority.

[marsavian]

and no doubt he would be suitably rewarded again by them in the future if he brought billions more business their way which is why he looks so uncomfortable under hard questioning, he can see those future mega dollars disappearing if they don't buy his subordinates story .

[Corsair1963]

US Air Force defends F-15X buy to skeptical Inhofe, Reed
04 Apr 2019 Joe Gould

"WASHINGTON — U.S. Air Force officials on Thursday defended their reversal to pursue Boeing’s F-15X, a fourth-generation fighter jet, saying it will not derail plans to buy Lockheed Martin’s F-35, a fifth-generation fighter jet.

At a Senate Armed Services Committee on the Air Force’s fiscal 2020 budget request, the service’s top official said the decision to seek eight F-15X aircraft is a short-term patch, as 800 fewer F-35s are operational than planned. [which plan?] They pitched the move as the most cost-effective way to replace the retiring F-15C Eagle, using the same hangers, equipment and maintainers. “We absolutely [are] adamant that the F-35 program, the program of record, absolutely stays on track and we don’t take a dime out of the F-35,” said Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein, calling the jet the “quarterback of the joint penetrating team.”

Goldfein also reassured lawmakers who recalled the cancellation of Lockheed’s fifth-generation F-22 Raptor that there would be no repeat. The plan is still for its fleet to be made up of 80% fifth-generation aircraft by the 2040s, he said...."
[MORE at the URL]

Source: https://www.defensenews.com/congress/20 ... hofe-reed/

Honestly, this sounds more and more like a ploy to just acquire more F-35's.

[Corsair1963]

The F-15EX sounds pretty dead to me....

[marsavian]

The F-15EX sounds pretty dead to me....

We don't know how much Trump himself is pushing it.

[Corsair1963]

The F-15EX sounds pretty dead to me....

We don't know how much Trump himself is pushing it.

Trump isn't involved......