F-15s expected to fly soon, officials say

F-15s expected to fly soon, officials say
By Gayle S. Putrich - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Nov 12, 2007 16:07:51 EST

Though the F-15 Eagle did not make it to the 2007 Dubai Airshow after a crash caused a worldwide grounding of the aircraft, U.S. Air Force officials attending the show said they expect the fleet of more than 700 fighters to return to the air very soon.

Lt. Gen. Gary North, commander of U.S. Central Command Air Forces said in Dubai that the Pentagon is working to get the E-model airplanes flying again, starting with aircraft deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.

“We are working today to get the Es back up as soon as possible,” North said.

The Pentagon, in collaboration with manufacturer Boeing, is still investigating and has 60 days to determine the cause of the Nov. 2 crash of a National Guard-operated F-15C over Missouri that grounded the U.S., Japanese and Saudi Arabian fleets. The U.S. and Japan canceled a Nov. 5 joint training exercise because of the grounding.

“I anticipate the E will return to service very soon,” said Bruce Lemkin, deputy undersecretary of the Air Force for international affairs, who was also attending the Dubai Airshow. He said that while there is still a great deal of confidence in the F-15, particularly the E as the newest model, the incident demonstrated the importance of recapitalizing the fighter fleet.

“That was an airplane that was almost 30 years old,” Lemkin said.


Rest of article at: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2007/11/defense_f15groundings_071112/