Concerns over mounting controversy, production delays and added costs surrounding the expected next-generation of fighter aircraft -- the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor and F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (right)-- may result in more orders for the relatively aged Boeing F/A-18 Super Hornet... and even Boeing's comparatively old-school F-15 Eagle.
While Boeing stands to lose a little, too, if the next-generation F-22 Raptor is held up further by development delays, it may stand to gain far more if that program -- and the JSF -- are delayed.
That's because delays on the newer planes have forced the older fighters to stick around longer than expected, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office -- and Boeing provides maintenance and logistical support on those planes. As evidence of the importance of such business, the logistics support branch is the fastest-growing segment at Boeing Integrated Defense Systems.
Such delays might also result in greater sales for the older fighters, as well, as customers worldwide grow weary of waiting for the new fighters. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that already, the F-15E Eagle (above) -- a much-modified version of the plane that first flew in 1972 -- has landed new orders with South Korea and Singapore.
As for the newer F/A-18 Super Hornet (right), the fighter is a mainstay of the US Navy, and is a contender for a third multiyear order worth several billion dollars. The Super Hornet is also marketed overseas, and is the US entry in a multibillion-dollar fighter competition currently underway in India.
Aero-News Network
While Boeing stands to lose a little, too, if the next-generation F-22 Raptor is held up further by development delays, it may stand to gain far more if that program -- and the JSF -- are delayed.
That's because delays on the newer planes have forced the older fighters to stick around longer than expected, according to a report by the Government Accountability Office -- and Boeing provides maintenance and logistical support on those planes. As evidence of the importance of such business, the logistics support branch is the fastest-growing segment at Boeing Integrated Defense Systems.
Such delays might also result in greater sales for the older fighters, as well, as customers worldwide grow weary of waiting for the new fighters. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that already, the F-15E Eagle (above) -- a much-modified version of the plane that first flew in 1972 -- has landed new orders with South Korea and Singapore.
As for the newer F/A-18 Super Hornet (right), the fighter is a mainstay of the US Navy, and is a contender for a third multiyear order worth several billion dollars. The Super Hornet is also marketed overseas, and is the US entry in a multibillion-dollar fighter competition currently underway in India.
Aero-News Network
