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The Air Force will soon begin replacing the Air National Guard’s aging F-15C/D Eagles with brand-new aircraft, service officials announced last week.
Oregon’s 173rd Fighter Wing, home of the Air Force’s F-15 schoolhouse, is first in line. The unit at Kingsley Field in Klamath Falls, Oregon, will convert to the new F-15EX in 2022.
A year later, the 142nd Fighter Wing at Portland (Ore.) Air National Guard Base will become the first operational F-15EX unit.
The plan also calls for the Guard to get another F-35A Lightning II unit. Florida’s 125th Fighter Wing, which operates the F-15C/D from Jacksonville Air National Guard Base, will begin receiving the fifth-generation aircraft in 2024.
The F-15C/D entered the Air Force in 1972. Six Guard fighter units operate them with aircraft that are on average 36 years old. They are expected to run out of service life by the mid-2020s. All but the schoolhouse unit help protect the air sovereignty of the continental United States.
The Air Force also plans to replace Guard F-15C/D units in California, Louisiana and Massachusetts with either the F-15EX or the F-35A.
Air Force officials will survey each unit location to assess operational requirements, potential impacts to existing missions and environment, infrastructure and manpower, and costs before deciding which aircraft will replace the F-15C mission.
“The Air National Guard has consistently stepped up to meet the challenges of countless national contingencies over recent years,” said Lt. Gen. Michael A. Loh, the Air National Guard director. “Transitioning to these new weapon systems will maintain our effectiveness as a member of the Total Air Force into the future.”
The F-15EX is a two-seat fighter. It features a deep magazine that can carry an array of weapons. The aircraft also requires minimal transitional training or additional manpower and little to no infrastructure changes, ensuring the continuation of the mission, officials said.
The Air Force plans to buy 144 of the Boeing-built aircraft. Service officials recently ordered its first eight. The first two will go to Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, early next year for testing, officials said.
“The F-15EX is the most affordable and immediate way to refresh the capacity and update the capabilities provided by our aging F-15C/D fleets,” said Gen. Mike Holmes, the commander of Air Combat Command, last month. “The F-15EX is ready to fight as soon as it comes off the line.”
Guard leaders in the five F-15 states initially expressed a preference for the Lockheed-built F-35A. The concern is, the F-15EX will be a predominantly Guard aircraft and may not receive the same attention as systems also flown in the active component.
But Air Force officials have recently talked of increasing the F-15EX buy to replace older F-15E Strike Eagles in the active component.
If plans hold, the 125th Fighter Wing will become the Guard’s fourth F-35 unit.
The 158th Fighter Wing in Burlington, Vermont, received its first stealth fighters last year. The 115th Fighter Wing in Madison, Wisconsin, and the 187th Fighter Wing in Montgomery, Alabama, expect their first F-35s in late 2023.
