In a previous article, OK, Fine noted that the F-15 is an expensive jet to maintain. The U.S. fleet of F-15s is also getting older, and many of the planes are now over 30 years old.
What are some recent events with the F-15?
On October 8th, a USAF F-15 with the 493rd Fighter Squadron based out of Lakenheath, England, crashed 38 miles away at Lincolnshire, England.
On August 27th, an F-15 with the 104th Fighter Wing of the Massachusetts Air National Guard crashed near Deerfield, Virginia.
There have been some emergency landings by F-15s over the past year. On August 21st, a USAF F-15 made an emergency landing in Turkey.
On April 24th, an F-15 made an emergency landing in Lithuania.
On April 7th, a Boeing 737 passenger plane and three U.S. F-15s had a “near miss” above Montrose, in Scotland.
On March, 25th, an F-15 made an emergency landing at PDX airport in Porland, Oregon.
On March 4th, a U.S. F-15 made an emergency landing at Kadena Air Base in Japan.
On May 27th, 2013, an F-15 crashed near Okinawa, Japan.
The F-15 has apparently never been shot down in combat. However, Wikipedia states: “As of 8 January 2014, 123 USAF F-15 aircraft had been destroyed in mishaps, with 52 fatalities.”
Loren Thompson, head of the Lexington Institute and a Pentagon consultant, said part of the reason for the problems with the F-15 is “corrosion, metal fatigue and parts obsolescence.”
OK, Fine. 