Latest news with #F-15EXs
Axios
05-05-2025
- Business
- Axios
Selfridge mission unites old foes Whitmer, Trump
The new fighter jet mission at Selfridge Air National Guard Base is a big win for Michigan's economy, highlighting Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer's evolving relationship with President Trump. Why it matters: Prior to Trump's announcement last week that Selfridge will receive new fighter aircraft, the base's future — and the 30,000 jobs it supports — was uncertain because its aging A-10 Thunderbolt II squadron will be retired beginning in 2026. State of play: Selfridge will receive about 20 F-15EXs — a next-generation fighter aircraft — to replace the A-10s beginning in fiscal year 2028. Meanwhile, the A-10's retirement will happen gradually over the next several years, resulting in the loss of about 300 part-time and 25 full-time jobs. Whitmer said she is hopeful the new mission will minimize job losses, the Detroit News reported. What they're saying: Trump made the announcement last Tuesday during a visit to the base on Lake St. Clair in Harrison Township, about 30 miles northeast of Detroit. "I've come in person to lay to rest any doubts about Selfridge's future and the vital role it will play in our national defense," Trump said. Context: Selfridge's location is ideal for the new aircraft to fly over the Arctic toward Asia and other locations, U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, D-Bloomfield Township, told the Macomb Daily. Between the lines: Despite their previous disagreements, Whitmer has taken a more cooperative approach during Trump's second term. Her strategy — in contrast to more combative Democratic governors — made news last month when Whitmer hid her face with file folders while being photographed in the Oval Office. Whitmer later explained that she simply didn't want her picture taken: "That's all it was. I kinda wish I hadn't put my folder up in front of my face. But whatever." The latest: The Selfridge expansion outweighs any distress Whitmer endured in working with Trump to make it happen, the New York Times reports. "The fact that we got it done — all the grief is worth it," she told the Times. "The people of Michigan elected me twice because they know whether it's threats or pundits ridiculing me for going to the White House, I'm always going to stand up for the people of Michigan."
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
F-15EX To Replace Michigan Air National Guard A-10s
President Donald Trump made a surprise announcement today at Selfridge Air National Guard Base in Michigan, which was losing its A-10 Warthogs to retirement, and possibly its tactical flying mission overall. Instead, the storied base and the 107th Fighter Squadron have been chosen to receive a squadron of Boeing F-15EX Eagle IIs. The news comes just a day after billions of dollars were earmarked for accelerating F-15EX acquisitions in a massive defense spending boost proposed by the heads of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees. Still, there are big questions of where these jets are coming from, as well as what exactly this means for the F-15EX basing structure and its future numbers in the Air Force overall. Trump visited Selfridge Air National Guard Base today to deliver the very welcome news that the installation will not lose its fighter mission. Instead, it would grow with a new and far more advanced aircraft than the base's Warthogs. A squadron of KC-46 Pegasus tankers is already slated to call the base home towards the end of the decade, replacing the KC-135Rs stationed there now. @POTUS: "As commander-in-chief, I am proud to announce that very soon we will replace the retiring A-10 Warthogs with 21 brand new F-15EX Eagle II fighter jets" at Selfridge Air National Guard base in Michigan. — Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) April 29, 2025 This is a major economic win for Michigan, and politicians and community leaders on both sides of the political aisle are lauding Trump's reprieve for the base's fighter mission. Trump said today that Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, who is a member of the Democratic Party, made her controversial visit to the White House earlier this month 'to save Selfridge.' Trump praising Michigan Gov. GRETCHEN WHITMER at Selfridge Air National Guard Base: 'She came to see me. That's the reason she came to see me, by the way, to save Selfridge. She was very effective,' he said. — Julia Manchester (@JuliaManch) April 29, 2025 BREAKING: After years of hard work, we've secured a new fighter squadron to protect operations at Selfridge Air National Guard Base for decades to come. That means jobs, a stronger economy, and a bright, lasting, and secure future for Selfridge and the entire state of Michigan. — Governor Gretchen Whitmer (@GovWhitmer) April 29, 2025 My statement on the announcement that 21 F-15EXs are coming to Selfridge Air National Guard Base: — Senator Gary Peters (@SenGaryPeters) April 29, 2025 Thank you @POTUS for recognizing the roll Selfridge plays in supporting our warfighters and contributing to our nation's is something the Michigan Delegation and I have long fought for, and President Trump made it a reality. I look forward to integrating the F-15EX… — Rep. Bill Huizenga (@RepHuizenga) April 29, 2025 What remains unclear is where the new F-15EXs will come from. As it sits now, roughly all the F-15EXs allotted under the 98 airframe procurement program of record have a future home. Each squadron would be made up of 18 jets, a reduction from the roughly 21 F-15C/Ds found today at units that still fly the older aircraft. Oregon, California, and Louisiana would all get one squadron, replacing their F-15C/Ds. Kadena Air Base on the Japanese island of Okinawa has at least been loosely understood to be in line to get two squadrons. This would leave eight aircraft for testing, training, and reserve. Now with the added 21 jets for Selfridge, either those assignments are changing or more F-15EXs are being bought. The latter is very possible, as indicated by the $3.1B set aside 'to increase production' of the F-15EX in the recently proposed $150B defense spending package. However, it still isn't clear if those funds would be used to accelerate and fund current procurement plans or to expand them, although buying more jets seemed more likely. You can read all about this in our write up on it here. So, with yesterday's budgetary news and today's basing announcement, more F-15EXs appear to be planned for. This would make a lot of sense based on the issues surrounding such a small force, the unique capabilities and efficiencies the F-15EX brings to the table, the popularity of the jet among key commanders, its testing performance, and especially the growing threats abroad. You can read more about the case for a larger F-15EX fleet in this past feature of ours. Alternatively, it's possible that Kadena is now going to get just one squadron of F-15EXs instead of two, with those 18 jets going to Selfridge, plus three from the remaining eight testing, training, and spare aircraft pool. The 21-aircraft squadron structure for Selfridge — adopting the same inventory number as the F-15C/D force — is also curious. This could indicate that all F-15EX squadrons will gain three more jets under a larger overall buy. This would allow for 18 primary aircraft and three retained by each unit as backup inventory aircraft. If Selfridge's F-15EXs are truly in addition to the 98 jets the Air Force currently plans to order, we also don't know if other squadrons will follow. Doing so would grow the overall program of record significantly. Originally, the minimum procurement target was 144 Eagle IIs. Finally, it's worth mentioning that the F-15EX is primarily seen as an air defense asset, at least for now. F-15C/Ds tasked with that mission for homeland defense have been arrayed along the country's coastlines, protecting from threats emanating from the maritime domain. Not since the short-lived Montana F-15C/D unit (120th Fighter Wing) was shuttered nearly a decade and a half ago have operational air superiority Eagles been stationed elsewhere in the country. So, regaining an Eagle squadron that is positioned for northern air defense is an interesting development. We have reached out to the USAF for clarification on the questions laid out here, and it's worth noting that if these are extra jets, the spending bill that could help fund them still has to be passed and signed into law in order to definitively say this is a done deal. Contact the author: Tyler@
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Selfridge to receive 21 new F-15EX fighter jets, Trump announces in Michigan
HARRISON TOWNSHIP — President Donald Trump announced April 29 that the Selfridge Air National Guard Base would receive 21 F-15EX fighter jets, solidifying its future in Michigan. "This is where they're going to be for a long time," Trump said, touting them as "brand new." With a phaseout of the A-10 aircraft at Selfridge underway, Michigan political leaders from both parties have lobbied the federal government for a new fighter mission to protect the future of the base, fearing it might close without a replacement fighter mission. "I've come in person to lay to rest any doubts about Selfridge," Trump said to applause. Major General Paul Rogers, adjutant general of the Michigan National Guard, said, "it was a very real possibility" that no replacement for the A-10 was going to be announced. He credited Whitmer for securing a new mission and said he expects the new planes to start arriving in Fiscal Year 2028. Trump landed at Selfridge aboard Air Force One and was greeted on the tarmac by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The two leaders shared a brief embrace. A new fighter mission has topped Whitmer's federal policy wish list. After she met with Trump to discuss it, she became the national face of the fraught politics facing Democrats trying to engage with the Trump administration when she briefly obscured her face during an Oval Office news conference during which the president praised her. But Trump also hinted he would help the governor deliver on Selfridge. Trump praised Whitmer for bringing the Selfridge issue to his attention and working on the issue on a bipartisan basis. "That's the reason she came to see me by the way -- to save Selfridge," Trump said. Whitmer's office estimates that the base has an $850 million impact on Michigan's economy and supports about 30,000 jobs in Michigan. Whitmer spoke briefly at the event, saying she was grateful for the president's announcement. "It's crucial for the Michigan economy, for our men and women here," she said. The announcement was lauded by Michigan leaders including U.S. Rep. Lisa McClain, R-Bruce Twp., who called it in a statement a "major win for our service members, Michigan families, and our national defense." U.S. Rep. John James on Xsaid, "President Donald Trump keeps his promises, standing strong for Selfridge, Macomb, our troops, Michigan, and America." U.S. Sen. Gary Peters, a member of the Armed Services Committee, applauded the announcement after what he described as years of work and advocacy. "Selfridge has the capabilities and the generational expertise needed to keep our military ready and our nation safe," Peters said in a statement. The F-15EX is manufactured by the Boeing Co., which bills it as "the future of combat" on its website and touts features including an ability to shoot from a farther range than any other fighter in the U.S. Air Force arsenal. As of last year, just three Air National Guard units were slated to get F-15 EXs, and Selfridge was not among them. Trump spoke in a hangar flanked by two A-10 aircraft, the attack planes that are being withdrawn from U.S. military service by 2029. Both planes had Trump's name stenciled under the cockpit. One had a red '45' under the nose, the other a '47,' representing the numbers associated with Trump's two presidencies. About 300 troops from the base, many of them full-time staff members of the Selfridge 127th Wing, gathered on bleachers inside the hangar to hear Trump, almost all wearing their brown and green 'operational camouflage pattern' uniforms. Free Press staff writer Clara Hendrickson, Washington Correspondent Todd Spangler and State Government & Politics Editor Emily Lawler contributed to this report. Contact Paul Egan: 517-372-8660 or pegan@ This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Selfridge air base to get 21 new F-15EX jets, Trump says
