Bad news for US as F-15EX outperforms advanced F-35A, F-22 fighter jets in…, experts say China has…

The F-35A fighter jets, the same ones which US has offered to India, have performed slightly better, reaching an efficiency rate of 51.5%, which is still much lower than the F-15EX fighter.

In a major worry for the United States Air Force (USAF), the world’s largest air force, a significant number of its advanced fighter jets have not proven to be mission-capable. In its review report, US Government Accountability Office (GAO), has revealed that the USAF’s average mission capability rate has fallen to 67.15% in 2024, from 69.92% in 2023, and 71.24% in 2022.

The figures reveal a worrying scenario for the US Air Force, which has an estimated 2,094 fourth and fifth generation fighters and close air support (CAS) aircraft, but a major chunk of these warplanes are grounded due to varying factors, and not mission capable.

F-15EX outperformed F-35A, F-22?

According to experts, a combat jet is considered mission capable only if it meets at least one of its specified standards and mission roles. For example, the F-35A fighter jet can be marked as mission capable only when it can successfully perform at least one of the roles its designed for, such as air superiority, electronic warfare, ground attack, or intelligence gathering.

As per the Air and Space Forces report, due to the retirement of older airframes, USAF’s aging F-15C fleet has witnessed a slight increase in its capability rate, which has reached 63.7%, while the F-15EX Eagle II, the latest variant of the legendary F-15, has outperformed other jets in the USAF fleet, achieving an impressive 83.13% capability rate. However, the USAF has only eight F-15EX jets currently in service.

Notably, the F-22 Raptor fighter jet recorded the biggest decline in efficiency rate, which dipped from 52% to 40.19%, prompting the US government to halt its production till 2028.

The F-35A fighter jets, the same ones which US has offered to India, have performed slightly better, reaching an efficiency rate of 51.5%, which is still much lower than the F-15EX fighter. Experts have questioned that F-35A’s ability to meet operational demands, even though the US Air Force has a huge stock of the combat aircraft.

The B-2 and B-52 bombers have also recorded further declines in efficiency rates, the report revealed.

US defense budget

The previous Biden administration had requested $7.5 trillion for the Department of Defense (DoD) in FY-2025, out of which $199.1 billion was allocated to the US Air Force, a 1.7% than the previous year. $75.6 billion from the USAF budget was earmarked for operations and maintenance.

Continuous upgrade and modernization of fighter jets remains a to priority for the US Air Force, which includes research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E), and $37.7 billion has been allocated for this purpose.

F-15EX vs F-35A

While the F-15EX is undoubtedly a formidable fighter jet which could compete with some of the most advanced 5th-gen fighters out there, minus the stealth capabilities., critics argue that the F-35A, could fulfill many of the same roles at a relatively lower cost.

The F-35A has stealth capabilities and advanced avionics but lacks the payload capacity of the F-15EX, a trade-off which could be worth it considering the advanced detection capabilities of modern air defense systems.