Air Force Shadiness on F-15

Nick Schwellenbach

The Air Force was quick to argue that its F-15 fleet needed a swap out with new F-22s when a Missouri Air National Guard F-15C came apart in mid-air in November 2007.  According to Air Force Magazine, "Gen. John Corley, head of Air Combat Command, called the situation a 'crisis' and said he was 'desperate' for hard data to inform him on the viability of the fleet. To find those hidden potential flaws, the Air Force said it planned to conduct a stress test on an operational F-15 and get the results in about a year."

But as Air Force Magazine learned earlier this month, in its Feb. 6, edition, "something has changed, as there's not much alacrity in the process, nor is there apparently any urgency to it. According to Air Force Materiel Command, a contract to do the stress test won't even be awarded until the summer."

Hmmm.