F-15s grounded
 

Sounds pretty drastic, huh :hmm:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7081737.stm

Hope it's nothing too serious and the birds are back in the air soon!

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A mandatory grounding of Air Force F-15s has been expanded to cover those flying combat missions over Afghanistan after a crash in Missouri last week, Air Force officials said Monday.

The F-15Es in Afghanistan can fly only in emergency situations to protect U.S. and coalition troops in a battle, according to Maj. John Elolf, a spokesman for the U.S. Air Force Central Command.

Maj. Cristin Marposon, an Air Force spokeswoman, told The Associated Press the country's fleet of 676 F-15s, including mission critical jets, was grounded on November 3 for "airworthiness concerns" after the crash of an older model F-15C on Friday. The cause of the crash is still under investigation, but Air Force officials said it was a structural failure and the plane broke apart in flight.

A spokeswoman for Boeing, the aircraft's manufacturer, told AP the company was cooperating with the Air Force but could not provide additional comment because of the pending investigation.

Col. Robert Leeker, commander of the 131st Fighter Wing, said Friday the plane had been among four planes split into pairs and were engaging in one-on-one training flights in which speeds of 400 to 450 mph are typical, according to AP. A pilot, a 10-year veteran of the guard whose name and rank were not released, safely ejected from the aircraft when it crashed in Dent County, Missouri, AP reported. The pilot suffered a dislocated shoulder, a broken arm and minor cuts and bruises.

Now only "mission critical" F-15s will fly.

Pentagon officials said the U.S. Navy has had to move the only aircraft carrier in the region from the Persian Gulf to the North Arabian Sea to fill mission gaps for the F-15s. Several dozen F/A-18 fighters from the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise will fly missions with other Air Force aircraft to fill mission gaps..
ir Force officials said the crash on Friday involved a Missouri Air National Guard F-15C on a training flight with other fighter jets doing combat simulations. After the pilot ejected, the aircraft crashed in a wooded rural area in Dent County, Mo........

Preliminary reports on the recent crash indicate that the jet broke apart just behind the cockpit while in flight, suggesting a major structural failure, according to two people familiar with the incident. The Air Force's Safety Investigation Board is on the scene of the crash and is expected to determine a cause within 60 days.

The Air Force said it is possible that the F-15s could be grounded for days or much longer if top officials decide that all the aircraft must be thoroughly inspected..

Who else flies F15s??:hmm:

It happens, even when they were brand new.

Saudi Arabia, Japan and Israel have F-15s in their inventory.

Don't forget South Korea and (soon) Singapore!

That there is a problem with the F-15 is nothing new, the USAF planners are on record as stating that they are often inoperative because of aging wiring, they are known to be prone to wiring fires and short circuits. The fact is that they are getting on in years, and in combination with the USAF being told they cannot have the numbers of replacement Raptors etc that they wanted, as these are phased out, is one that is causing the planners no small amount of concern, given that the newer aircraft are likely to be flying in combat a lot of the time. This, putting a lot of wear and tear on shiny new planes that in peacetime would not have to stick that many operational hours on the airframe, so the new ones are going to be wearing out a lot quicker than was hoped for too. That war on terror is bloody expensive, in machines as well as men and women.

But it's the same old story: no bucks, no Buck Rogers.

:D Chock