The F-15 Eagle fighter, which first entered United States Air Force (USAF) service in 1976, will continue to be an essential element of America’s air superiority force into the 2040s.  Accordingly, the Department of Defense needs to procure the F-15X, the latest version of this fourth-generation fighter that will remain a vital weapons system even in an era of stealthy fifth-generation fighters like the scarce F-22. The website Warzone has examined how a “quiet USAF inquiry” prompted the F-15X, not Boeing’s commercial interests (Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan, a former Boeing executive, has recused himself from F-15X decisions).  Previously USAF leaders like Air Force secretary Heather Wilson “had been adamant about only buying stealthy 5th generation fighters” and had “myopically focused on” USAF’s F-35.  The USAF procured its last fourth-generation fighters, F-15s and F-16s, in 2001....(Read Full Article)