There are not stopping assembling all of F-35. They don’t cease at all. Their plan is to complete their first order as planned (38 to be assembled in-country) and then procure the 102 more directly from the Fortworth assembly line in order to get a better economy.

A source familiar with the production review says that the original 38 aircraft production run will go ahead as planned, but that it is not a given that some, or any, of the extra F-35s that Tokyo plans to obtain will be produced indigenously.

Source: FlightGlobal.com

Sorry, the F-15C doesn’t have more range than the F-35A.

Sorry but that is not what I said. I am talking about non-stealthy platform and especially made a comparison b/w the Viper and the Eagle; what was relevant with the conversation.

The fact is that F-15 and F-16 are both in number in the inventory. The goal is to envision what would be the cheapest airframe to maintain in the long term in the relevant predicted scenario for the USAF/ANG. It could be that in the face of the vast empty spaces of the Pacific theater, keeping the F-15 instead of the cheaper per airframe F-16 might be relevant.
We are not talking of the benefices of the old Eagles Vs new F-35.

Remind me the C-17 that landed on the wrong runway. This was indeed a similar story but with with a much better outcome obviously:

https://youtu.be/nkuqsd_tRHw

Janes reporting one plane RTB and two pilots safe. Don’t know if this came after the above and is accurate.

EDIT:

No, sadly we had the latest and more accurate news.

From Scramble today (FB):

Another Su-34 update

We just received additional information concerning the mid-air collision of the Su-34s:

Some details changed. Two pilots were found dead in the sea, one rescued crew was a navigator, the fourth pilot is still missing, Rescue services are continuing their search.

The whole formation originally consisted of eight aircraft, including multiple Su-34s and possibly also some Su-35s. One aircraft returned after take-off with an engine malfunction. Seven aircraft continued their mission.

Singapore commits to “small” F-35 procurement

“Our F-16s will have to retire soon after 2030,” said defence minister Ng Eng Hen in a tweet. “Happy to report that [Defence Science and Technology Agency] and [the air force] have completed their technical evaluation for the replacement, and have decided that the F-35 would be the most suitable replacement fighter.”
[…]
“The technical evaluation also concluded that the RSAF should first purchase a small number of F-35 JSFs for a full evaluation of their capabilities and suitability before deciding on a full fleet,” said the ministry’s statement.

“In the next phase, [the ministry] will discuss details with relevant parties in the US before confirming its decision to acquire the F-35 JSFs for Singapore’s defence capabilities.”

Also*:

Singapore has made no secret of its interest in the F-35, with senior officials expressing positive views about the programme in recent years. It is believed to have special interest in the F-35B given the highly urbanised nation’s scarcity of land, which makes basing challenging.

Source:
FlightGlobal.com

*of a special interest to me (and dedicated to the Swiss eval (see our much too long former discussions in the dedicated thread))

French FAS conducts 9000km long range Strategic strike demo

Pour démontrer qu’ils restent opérationnels après plus de 11 heures de vol, les Rafales ont participé à un exercice tactique a leur arrivée au dessus de la métropole. Les deux Rafale devaient réaliser une mission de pénetration et simuler le tir d’un missile ASMPA tandis que d’autre appareils ayant décollés de Saint Dizier tentaient de les intercepter.
—————–

To demonstrate that they remain operational after more than 11 hours of [their return] flight [from the Reunion island], the [two] Rafales took part in a tactical exercise at their arrival above the French mainland. The two aircraft had to carry out a mission of penetration and simulate the firing of an ASMPA missile while other aircraft that took off from Saint Dizier tried to intercept them.

Pls use ggl translate or another online translator

Although the intend is pretty straightforward to understand, the switch of attention from middle-east to the vast Pacific zone of operation could slow this process. Eagles are more relevant and upgraded ones even more (fast pack – CFT) due to their superior range. The increased savings due to lower supportive operation cost might sound counter-intuitive to many but could prove ultimately fundamental. Add to that the increased threat on tanker operations that pushes them farthest from operating zones and we might see the USAF/ANG turned into a long[er] range airforce (at least for their non-stealthy components]