Battle of 4th- and 5th-generation jet fighters: Lockheed Martin, F-35, are waging war on Boeing F-15EX

WASHINGTON – The F-35 joint strike fighter reportedly has been racking up kills against older warplanes during U.S. military drills in Nevada — even against the F-15, whose record in real combat is a flawless 104 to zero. Now the two jets are heading into a fierce dogfight, one that doesn’t involve missiles or guns. Defense One reports. Continue reading original article

The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:

18 March 2019 -- The battle between Lockheed Martin’s F-35 and Boeing’s F-15EX jet fighter is being fought by lobbyists in and around Congress, which is beginning to review the Pentagon’s fiscal 2020 budget request. Tens of billions of dollars are up for grabs over the coming decade.

Last week, Pentagon officials proposed buying new F-15s for the first time since 2001, even though top Air Force officials have said as recently as two weeks ago that they didn’t necessarily want the planes. For nearly two decades, Air Force officials have argued against buying so-called fourth-generation planes, preferring for stealthier fifth-generation planes with newer technology.

The proposed F-15EX jet fighters purchase is rather small: eight jets in 2020 and a total of 80 through 2024. By comparison, the Pentagon wants to buy 78 F-35s in 2020, with 48 going to the Air Force.

Related: F-35 is about to get a lot smarter, using artificial intelligence to compile mission data files

Related: Hybrid theory: Lockheed Martin and Boeing pitch upgraded F-22 and F-15 jet fighter

Related: Will the updated Boeing F-15X single-seat jet fighter become a new Air Force program of record?

John Keller, chief editor
Military & Aerospace Electronics

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