F-15X für die USAF, Warum nicht einfach mehr F-35? Einstellungen

[Edding321]

Die F-15X soll lt Budget 2020 kommen, 8 Stück für 2020 von insgesamt geplanten 144

https://www.defensenews.com/video/2019/03/1...defense-budget/

[Praetorian]

Etwas mehr zum Hintergrund der Beschaffung der F-15X aus einer Anhörung des USAF Chief of Staff gestern vor dem Finanzausschuss des US-Senats:

• Hauptgründe sind Kosten und Verfügbarkeit
• Es wird eine durchchnittliche Verfügbarkeit von über 80% angestrebt. Die Umstellung eines Geschwaders von F-15 auf ein gänzlich anderes Muster (z.B. F-35) soll rund 24 Monate bei aktiven USAF-Verbänden benötigen, und 36 bei der Air National Guard. In dieser Übergangszeit sinkt die Verfügbarkeit stark unter die Zielvorgabe, weil fliegendes und technisches Personal für die entsprechenden Lehrgänge abgezogen werden. Die Umstellung von F-15C auf F-15X soll unter sechs Monate dauern.
• Die Betriebskosten pro Flugstunde der F-35 liegen über denen der F-15, was das für Beschaffungen zur Verfügung stehende Budget verringert. Zudem müssten bei einer Umstellung auf ein gänzlich anderes Muster im Prinzip alle Ersatzteile und auch ein erheblicher Anteil des ground support equipment (Werkzeuge, Maschinen, Aggregate) neu beschafft werden. Dagegen seien etwa 70% aller vorhandenen Ersatzteile und 90% des vorhandenen ground support equipment mit der F-15X kompatibel.
• Die USAF wird zukünftig eine Plattform zum Einsatz schwerer Waffensysteme (z.B. Hyperschallflugkörper) benötigen, die schon alleine aufgrund ihrer Abmessungen als externe Nutzlasten mitgeführt werden müssen. Kernanforderungen für diese Plattform sind hohe fliegerische Leistungsfähigkeit, ausreichende Reserven für Bauraum, elektrischer und Kühlkapazität sowie hohe Anpassungsfähigkeit.

FlightGlobal

Dazu der USAF Chief of Staff schon im Januar:

“We’ve got to refresh the F-15C fleet because I can’t afford to not have that capacity to do the job and the missions.” Goldfein explained. “That’s what this is all about. If we’re refreshing the F-15C fleet, as we’re building up the F-35 fleet, this is not about any kind of a trade.” He added that Air Force needs to buy 72 fighters a year to get to the amount they need in the future — and to drive average aircraft age down from 28 years to 15 years. And while Goldfein might want all 72 to be fifth generation F-35s, budgetary concerns likely won’t let that happen. “If we had the money, those would be 72 F-35s. But we’ve gotta look at this from a cost/business case.” he explained. “An F-15 will never be an F-35. Never. But I need capacity.”

DefenseNews

Ebenfalls im Januar der Air Force Undersecretary:

He noted that, under original plans, USAF expected to have 736 F-35s by now, but “we have 174, ... so … we need to increase our fighter procurement, replacement rate.” Congress, he said, inserted language in the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act setting a floor for the inventory of Air Force fighters, and “if we don’t replace our airplanes that are getting ready to age out, then we’re going to bust that floor. And not at a good time, as we come into the mid-‘20s.”

Air Force Magazine

Die Produktion der F-35 kann schlicht nicht schnell genug und weit genug hochgefahren werden, um den Bedarf an neuen Flugzeugen für die Flottenregeneration der USAF zu decken. 2018 wurden 91 F-35 gefertigt, davon nur 54 für die US-Teilstreitkräfte, 21 an Partnernationen des JSF-Programms und 16 für FMS-Exportkunden (FlightGlobal).



Nochmal zurück zum Kostenproblem und Boeings aggressiver Preispolitik zur Auftragssicherung:

The December report from Bloomberg said there would be $1.2B set aside in the 2020 defense budget proposal to procure a dozen F-15X aircraft. This led many to believe the price of each F-15X would be $100M. This is more than the unit cost of an F-35A, which is slated to hit $80M apiece in the not so distant future. According to sources close to the discussions, this is flat out incorrect. The money being set aside in 2020, possibly around $1.1B, will include an initial order for F-15Xs—likely eight aircraft—with the rest of the money being spent on non-recurring costs, including setting up and managing the program and to pay for a relatively tiny amount of development work needed to bring the aircraft's systems and software in line with the USAF's exact specifications.
[..]
The big question then is how much will these jets cost? Our sources familiar with the discussions say they will cost "less than an F-35 is ever forecast to cost, best case," let alone what it is priced at now. This indicates that Boeing is going to cut the USAF one hell of a deal on these jets, which will help keep the F-15 production line open and Boeing's historic St. Louis plant building fighters well into the latter half of the next decade. This assessment is based on the Office of Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation's (CAPE) numbers, not just some blue sky pitch from Boeing.
These numbers are not projected from hypothetical notions or the dreams of consistently large buys materializing down the line, they take into account hard data from aircraft already being rolled off the production line and flying around the globe. This is the same for the F-15X's projected cost per flight hour that will be spread across the airframe's whopping 20,000-hour design life. For reference, most tactical fighters have a design life of around 8,000 hours
In addition, the F-15X was offered by Boeing to the USAF under a firm, fixed-price contract terms. In other words, if the USAF executes the offer, and the aircraft cost more than what is estimated, Boeing eats that cost directly, just as it has with the KC-46 tanker. There is nearly zero financial risk to the USAF. What it agrees to spend on procuring the capability is exactly what the bill will look like in the end, unless the two parties decide otherwise.
Boeing has been especially aggressive with its bidding on aircraft programs using similar constructs as of late, snapping up the UH-1N replacement contract, MQ-25 carrier-based tanker drone tender, and the opportunity to build the USAF's next jet trainer.

TheDrive War Zone