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Posted by: Inspector

ST. LOUIS (AP) - The Air Force is grounding all "non-mission critical" F-15 flight. It's citing a possible structural failure after 1 of the fighter jets crashed in Missouri.
The pilot ejected safely and has been released from the hospital. Doctors treated him for a dislocated shoulder, broken arm and minor cuts.
An Air Force spokeswoman says the F-15s remain available for anything requiring a combat response such as a terrorist attack, but otherwise they're grounded indefinitely. She says it's not a decision made lightly, but until the problem is identified, "it's the safest thing to do."
The Air Force says more than 700 F-15s are in its worldwide inventory, but they're being replaced by the F-22 Raptor.

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Posted by: Killjoy

U.S. air defense stretched thin by grounding of F-15s
Guard units from neighboring states take up the slack



By SCOTT LINDLAW
Associated Press



FRESNO, CALIF. — The grounding of hundreds of F-15s because of dangerous structural defects is straining the nation's air defense network, forcing some states to rely on their neighbors' fighter jets for protection, and Alaska to depend on the Canadian military.
The F-15 is the sole fighter at many of the 16 or so "alert" sites around the country, where planes and pilots stand ready to take off at a moment's notice to intercept hijacked airliners, Cessnas flying in protected airspace, and other threats.
The Air Force grounded about 450 F-15s after one of the fighters began to break apart in the air and crashed Nov. 2 in Missouri. An Air Force investigation found "possible fleet-wide airworthiness problems" because of defects in the metal rails that hold the fuselage together.
It is not clear when the F-15s will be allowed to fly again.
Compounding the problem created by the grounding, another fighter jet used for homeland defense, the F-16, is in high demand for Iraq operations. And the next-generation fighter, the F-22 Raptor, is only slowly replacing the aging F-15.
Military officials say they moved quickly to patch any holes in the homeland air-defense system, and they report an increase in air defense sorties in the past month, using replacement F-16s. But they acknowledge difficulties.
"When you're filling in, obviously it's going to cause some strain," said Mike Strickler, a spokesman with North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, which is operated by the U.S. and Canada. "You're spreading resources a little thinner than we would like."
With the F-15s in Massachusetts out of commission, the Vermont Air National Guard is covering the whole Northeast. The Minnesota Air National Guard is manning sites in Hawaii. In Louisiana, the Illinois Air National Guard has been filling in.
With Oregon's fighters grounded, the California Air National Guard is standing watch for the entire West Coast, an area of more than 300,000 square miles that is home to more than 46 million people in California, Oregon, Washington, and parts of Arizona and Nevada.
The California Air National Guard said this is the first time in history that a single state's fighter wing is providing coverage for an entire coast.
The California Guard is keeping three alert sites — in Riverside and Fresno, Calif., and Portland, Ore. — equipped and staffed with pilots and mechanics.
"As a unit we're kind of stressed, but everyone's accepting this as a challenge and all the men and women of the unit are acting as professionally as you could ever hope for," said Col. Gary Taylor, operations group commander for the Fresno-based 144th Fighter Wing of the California Air National Guard.
The unit has had to borrow F-16s from bases in Indiana and Arizona and trim back training for certain overseas operations.
A relatively small number of F-15s — the model known as the F-15E Strike Eagle — were not found to have the structural problem and are unaffected by the grounding.

HISTORY OF THE F-15


• Upgrade: After Vietnam, the Air Force sought a new air superiority fighter. In December 1969, McDonnell Douglas was awarded the contract for the F-15. • Production: In January 1976, the first Eagle destined for a combat squadron was delivered to the 1st Tactical Fighter Wing at Langley Air Force Base, Va. Three hundred and sixty-five
F-15As were built before production of the F-15C began in 1978.
• In flight: The F-15E Strike Eagle all-weather fighter entered service in 1989. The Air Force plans to keep the
F-15 in service until 2025.



Sad days for the powerful Eagle, pride of the Air Force and the only aircraft with a perfect air-combat record of 103 kills and no losses. Maybe congress should get off their asses and order up a couple hundred new F-22 Raptors before they leave the entire country defenseless!

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Posted by: Sniper

Great pic KJ..........

Maybe I am wacked but......... I'd rather risk losing one or two than endanger the entire US....... Can't they pull 25 or so out of service at a time ????? I'm a certified welder. I'll sure those frame rails up for FREE. hahahahhaa

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