T
he Air Force has now found eight F-15s with cracks in their upper longerons, the problem identified as the likely cause of the Nov. 2 crash of a Missouri Air National Guard F-15C on Nov. 2. The Air National Guard, which flies some of the oldest F-15s, has five of the eight—four at Oregon’s 173rd Fighter Wing and the fighter from Missouri’s 131st FW. Three belong to active-duty units—two with the 18th Wing at Kadena AB, Japan and one at the 325th FW at Tyndall AFB, Fla. Unit maintainers are continuing to inspect each of the F-15 A-D models, even as the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center in Georgia is working out new procedures to narrow the focus of future inspections.
With Congress considering another continuing resolution to cover the rest of fiscal 2025, the Space Force’s No. 2 officer asked lawmakers to give the service “flexibility” to deal with budget uncertainty.