Along with 42 A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft, the US Air Force will retire 57 F-15 C/D Eagle fighters to be replaced by the F-35 Lightning II and F-15EX Eagle II

The United States Air Force will go beyond the A-10 Thunderbolt II and retire several dozen F-15 Eagle fighters. They will be replaced by newer aircraft.

Here's What We Know

The US Air Force intends to retire 57 F-15C and F-15D fighters at once. They are almost 40 years old and are nearing the end of their service life. In 2022 the USAF began retiring the planes that were stationed at the Kadena base in Japan. They were temporarily replaced with F-22 Raptor fighters. It is possible that Kratos' Valkyrie drones will be deployed in Japan.

The old F-15C/D Eagle will be replaced by more modern aircraft. In particular, we are talking about the upgraded F-15EX Eagle II from Boeing and the fifth generation fighter F-35 Lightning II from Lockheed Martin. By the way, both aircraft will be carriers of hypersonic missiles.

To date, the US Air Force has bought only two F-15EX Eagle II fighters. However, the Pentagon is requesting funds to purchase 24 more Boeing aircraft in fiscal year 2024, along with 48 F-35 Lightning IIs.

Source: Defence News