The U.S. Air Force plans to keep some of its F-15C/D Eagle fighters—among the oldest in its fleet—in service at least four years longer than previously expected, according to a report titled “Long-Term Fighter Force Structure” submitted to Congress earlier this year.
According to the document, cited by Air and Space Forces Magazine, the last F-15C/D aircraft will extend their operational life from 2026 to 2030. The report, required by Congress under the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, outlines the Air Force’s long-term fighter requirements and strategies to meet them. Although dated August 2025, it was first disclosed in October by Inside Defense.
Charts included in the report show that the Air Force plans to retain 42 F-15C/Ds in its operational inventory through 2028 and keep 21 units until 2030, when the original model will be fully retired. This contrasts with earlier budget plans that projected the complete phaseout of the C/D fleet by fiscal year 2026.
An Air Force official explained, “We expect full divestment of the F-15C/D in fiscal year 2031, when they will be replaced by the F-15EX. Until then, we plan to keep the 21 most viable F-15C/Ds in Fresno,” home of the California Air National Guard’s 144th Fighter Wing.
The Air Combat Command “is actively managing the fleet to ensure that the most viable F-15C/Ds—known as Platinum Eagles—remain in service,” the official added. According to the report, “the divestment of the F-15C/D fleet is nearly complete,” although the Air Force will continue fielding the new F-15EX Eagle II across active-duty and Air National Guard units in the coming years. The document states that the Platinum Eagle fleet “remains viable to meet Airspace Control Authority requirements through 2030.”
The airspace control mission requires fighters to scramble quickly, intercept, and identify unknown or hostile aircraft entering U.S. air defense identification zones—and, if necessary, shoot them down if they pose a threat.
A former Air Force pilot interviewed by Air & Space Forces Magazine explained that these missions “don’t usually demand high-G maneuvering, but speed is critical” to reach a position where missiles can be fired against hostile aircraft.
More than 75% of F-15C/Ds face performance limitations—either in maximum allowable speed or G-load capacity—due to structural fatigue. The Air Force had originally planned to replace the fleet with F-22 Raptors by the late 2000s, but the reduced number of F-22s procured forced the continued use of the F-15C/D in the air superiority role.
In recent years, the most advanced F-15C/Ds—equipped with active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars and upgraded systems—were withdrawn from RAF Lakenheath (United Kingdom) and Kadena Air Base (Japan), where units were based closer to potential deployment areas. At Lakenheath, they were replaced by F-35s, while in Okinawa, F-35 and F-16 rotations have taken their place. The official plan calls for F-15EXs to be permanently stationed at those bases once available.
The same former pilot noted that the remaining F-15s “should be able to fulfill the mission” and would only be reassigned in the event of “a large-scale national conflict,” in which case “it would probably be best to keep them where they are.”
The annual report establishes the Air Force’s total fighter requirement at 1,558 aircraft under the new category Combat-Coded Total Aircraft Inventory, a term intended to more accurately reflect the actual number of operational fighters. This replaces the previous Primary Mission Aircraft Inventory designation, which excluded about 15% of aircraft—including attrition reserves and backup units.
A service official indicated that there is a legislative proposal in Congress to modify the nomenclature and counting criteria. The report also warns that “cannibalization” among the F-15C/D fleet—the use of parts from one aircraft to keep another operational—has risen significantly, and spare parts sources are rapidly disappearing. For this reason, the Air Force has presented the acquisition of F-15EXs as an urgent necessity amid the accelerated retirement of F-15C/Ds.
In addition, the report confirms that part of the F-15E Strike Eagle fleet will remain in service into the 2030s.
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