Headlines -- Part 1 -- September 3, 2026

Locator: 51635HEADLINES.

WTI: $92.95. Up $1.94; up 2.13% on top of already high prices.

CVX: up slightly in futures trading.

AAPL: down minimally. Suddenly AAPL has become the "safe" trade -- much like BRK-B used to be.

SCCO and GLW diverge: SCCO up; GLW down. This reminds me of the "sand vs ceramics" story at the height of the fracking boom. Sand won.  

• With regard to the "sand-vs-ceramics" proppant battle at the height of the fracking boom, sand won an overwhelming victory, securing over 80% to 90% of the total market volume. -- RBN Energy.

Health care costs increasing: huge story on CNBC today. Becky Quick clearly and purposely stated on several news outlets in January, 2026, that her 9-year-old daughter, Kaylie, has a rare genetic disorder called SYNGAP1. 

• SYNGAP1 is “a rare genetic disorder that causes a spectrum of neurodevelopment disorders”, which currently has no cure and often requires round-the-clock care.

USAF: a reader asked about USAF inventory --

• The U.S. Air Force currently has 27 active F-15EX Eagle IIs in its flying inventory compared to a total of 141 heavy strategic bombers consisting of B-52s, B-1Bs, and B-2As. 
• The United States Air Force currently schedules a total buy of 267 F-15EX Eagle II fighter jets.
• The U.S. Air Force operates 42 combat-coded legacy F-15C/D Eagle fighters. 
• Following the complete divestment of the F-15C from active-duty service and forward-deployed areas like Kadena Air Base, the remaining flying fleet is broken down by its specific operational metrics.
• The Fresno Consolidation: The fleet is projected to scale down to 21 units by 2028. Those final 21 aircraft will consolidate at Fresno Air National Guard Base, California, before the F-15C variant is completely retired in 2030. 
• The United States Air Force (USAF) currently has an active inventory of 838 to 841 F-16 Fighting Falcons across all components.

AVGO: stellar. Link here. Says sales will double for next two years -- not over but for next two years. 

Government debt / deficit: looks like both will increase significantly after midterm elections. 

********************************
Disclaimer

Briefly: 

I am inappropriately exuberant about the Bakken and I am often well out front of my headlights. I am often appropriately accused of hyperbole when it comes to the Bakken.

I am inappropriately exuberant about the US economy and the US market.

I am also inappropriately exuberant about all things Apple.

See disclaimer. This is not an investment site. 

Disclaimer: this is not an investment site. Do not make any investment, financial, job, career, travel, or relationship decisions based on what you read here or think you may have read here. All my posts are done quickly: there will be content and typographical errors. If something appears wrong, it probably is. Feel free to fact check everything.

If anything on any of my posts is important to you, go to the source. If/when I find typographical / content errors, I will correct them. 

Reminder: I am inappropriately exuberant about the Bakken, US economy, and the US market.

I am also inappropriately exuberant about all things Apple. 

And now, Nvidia, also. I am also inappropriately exuberant about all things Nvidia. Nvidia is a metonym for AI and/or the sixth industrial revolution. 

I've now added Broadcom to the disclaimer. I am also inappropriately exuberant about all things Broadcom. Now, I've added Amazon. And QCOM.

Longer version here.

USAF Update: F-15 Eagle Crest -- Another $130-Billion Upgrade Program -- August 24, 2026

Locator: 51536USAF. 

Wow, wow, wow! This was my primary a/c as far back as the 1980s. Just announced today:

This extends a most incredible triad: the F-15EX; the F-22; and the F35. We talked a little bit about this just a few days ago: link here.

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From The Air Force

Reminiscing -- RAF Lakeheath -- March 4, 2026

Locator: 50125USAF.

We were assigned to the 48th Fighter Wing, 1986 - 1989, primary a/c, the F-111D. Right seat: WSO (weapons system operator).

Now, from wiki and Google Gemini (information from those sources are somewhat confusing and not necessarily accurate and/or current. 

The 48th Fighter Wing (48 FW) is part of the United States Air Force's Third Air Force, assigned to Headquarters Air Command Europe and United States Air Forces in Europe. 

It is based at RAF Lakenheath, England, near Cambridge, northeast of London. 

The 48 FW is the only McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle wing based in Europe which hosts two F-15E Strike Eagle squadrons. [F-15 Eagle and F-15E Strike Eagle designations used interchangeably.]

The wing also hosts two Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II squadrons. The 48 FW was given the name "Statue of Liberty Wing" on 4 July 1954 and remains the only U.S. Air Force unit with both a name and a numerical designation. 

48th Operations Group

• four squadrons of F-35A & F-15E a/c
• squadrons: 492nd, 493rd, 494th, and 495th --
• 492nd and 494th: F-15E Strike Eagle, not the newer F-15EX Eagle II. 
• specifically, the 492nd ("Madhatters/Bowlers") and 494th ("Panthers") Fighter Squadrons fly upgraded F-15E Strike Eagles;
• these are the only permanently forward-deployed F-15Es in Europe. 
• F-15E Strike Eagles, some airframes feature the advanced Eagle Passive/Active Warning and Survivability System (EPAWSS).
• 493rd ("Grim Reapers") and 495th ("Valkyries")
• are the premier USAF fighter units operating the F-35A Lightning II
• 5th generation capabilities
• the 493rd transitioned from F-15Cs to F-35A; prior to the F-15Cs, the unit operated F-111s, as did all RAF units in the 1980s 
• the 495th was the first overseas F-35A unit (2021)
• F-15C/D retirement: the older F-15C/D Eagle models have been removed from service at RAF Lakenheath and returned to the United States.
• transition: the F-15Es at Lakenheath are being replaced by F-35A Lightning II aircraft 
• with the 492nd and 494th squadrons transitioned in 2021, well ahead of the earlier proposed date of 2027-2028 (transitioned from the legacy F-15 C/D models
• planned 54 F-35As (about 14 a/c per squadron)
• this is a little confusing but Google Gemini says the first F-35As arrived 
• December 15, 2021, 495th FS 
• when I was there the 495th was the training unit; the other three squadrons, operational 
• April, 2022, 493rd FS
• operational: as of 2026 

Two New Permits -- Huge Spacing Unit In New Area -- February 19, 2026

Locator: 50011B. 

Stories that fascinate me right now:

• NYC's impending implosion;
• LDCs; Stargate, Ohio, SoftBank; 
• Trump's brilliance: how he "read" Harvard's Achille's heel; 
• the union killing the Golden Goose; no sympathy
• chips: how analysts are missing the big story, and harming investors in the process;
• Gaza and the Pope. Tracked here.
• Trump vs Iran, part 2. 
• USAF: the F-15EX. Link here. 

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Back to the Bakken

WTI: $66.64. Will it hit $70?

Active rigs: 31. Wow. Recent high. 

Two new permits:

• #42722, loc, Phoenix Operating, Gina Ferrari 13-12-1 3H, SWSW 13-160-98, Skabo, Divid County; 
• to be sited 599 FSL and 1145 FWL;
• #42723, conf, Spotted Hawk, Eta 21-18H, NENW 18-150-91, Van Hook, McLean County; 
• to be sited 467 FNL and 1411 FWL; spacing unit, sections 15 / 16 / 17 / 18 / 19 / 20 / n2 of 21 - 150N-R91W; 4160 acres if I did the math correctly; 
• there are no locations in that area, except for NWNW 18-150-91, where there's a nine-well pad planned:
• 42721, conf, Spotted Hawk Development, Alpha 21-18H, Van Hook, 
• 42567, Athena 21-18H,
• 42568, Bacchus 21-18H, 
• 42569, Cheetah 21-18H,
• 42570, Demeter 21-18H, 
• 42571, Epsilon 21-18H, 
• 42572, Gamma 21-18H,
• 42654, conf, Spotted Hawk Development, Grace 21-18H, Van Hook, 
• 42573, conf, Spotted Hawk Development, Omega 21-18H, Van Hook, 

Five permits canceled:

• Empire North Dakota: five permits in Bottineau County; Goldeneye, Sturgeon, Utah Raptor, Hornbill, and Dakota Raptor;

One permit reinstatement:

• 40197, conf, Five States Operating, Rocky Hill, Stark County.

Six producing wells (DUCs) reported as completed:

• 40684, 480, XTO, HBU Lizette State 21X-16E,  
• 41037, 152, XTO, HBU Lizette State 21X-16B, 
• 41062, n/d, Slawson, Barnstormer Federal 3-3-15H,
• 41063, n/d, Slawson, Barnstormer Federal 4-3-15H,
• 41848, 497, EOG, Ross 103-1606H, note the chronologic number;
• 41850, 708, EOG, Ross 102-1606H, note the chronologic number; 

The Military Might Of The US -- Trump's First Year -- Portland, OR, ANG And The F-15EX Is A Big, Big Deal -- January 19, 2026

Locator: 49750DEFENSE. 

Quickly:

• Hamas, Hezbollah, Gaza
• Iran defenses fully neutralized
• Iranian nuclear facilities attacked
• Venezuela - Maduro extradition

Out of that litany of firsts, "things I have learned" and need to explore more, follows.

Compass Call: link here. 

F-15EX: see below.

The 142nd Wing (142WG) is a huge, huge, huge deal. I doubt anyone outside the ANG really understand what this means, not even the regular Air Force. 

• 142nd Wing, Oregon ANG, Portland, co-located with PDX
• F-15EX, wiki;

 

AI prompt: With the arrival of the F-15EX at the Oregon ANG, Portland, Oregon, this makes this military unit a premier unit on the west coast. How did Portland, a most liberal city in a most liberal state get this recognition and the F-15EX ahead of California, but more importantly, before Alaska, closer to Russia and China, and the state much more aligned with military history?

Google Gemini: 

*************************
142ndWG

 

AI prompt: having received the F-15EX, is the 142WG now the largest, most important AGN base?

 

Google Gemini reply: much more but this was the bottom line -- 

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Is The F-15XE The Best Fighter Ever?

Top speed: classified, but public information suggests the F-15EX trends toward Mach 4, if needed. 

Link here: apparently posted in 2025. 


By the way, because Trump was unable to launch simultaneous operations over two theaters on opposite sides of the earth, one can pretty much bet Trump will get all the funds he requests for the Department of War in this year's appropriations process.

From The X-Files -- December 30, 2025

Locator: 49767B.

From the X-Files.

From Peter Zeihan, today: Global oil markets are nearing a massive shock as the shadow fleet edges towards collapse.

With mounting pressure from US seizures, Ukrainian drone attacks, and European interdictions, the roughly 1,000-tanker-strong shadow fleet is in the crosshairs of...everybody. As ships are confiscated, disabled, or destroyed, the numbers stop making sense for captains to run the risk.

This could trigger a severe tanker shortage, driving oil prices up, and making it harder for sanctioned countries to export. We're not just looking at an immediate price spike; this will be a prolonged oil shock impacting everything from transport to production.

Hamas: this is barely being reported. Hamas confirms death of five leaders incluing al-Sinwar's brother. Link here. 

Israeli F-15s: link here. Pay attention.

Israel operates several F-15 models (my interest -- the F-15D was my primary a/c for maybe a decade in the USAF): 

• the older F-15 A/B/C/D "Baz" variants -- air superiority
• the dedicated ground-attack F-15I "Ra'am" (Thunder) -- the "I" after the "15" stands for the Israeli variant;
• is now acquiring the "Advanced Eagle," the F-151A -- "I" = Israeli and "A" = Advanced
• for enhanced strike and rage, significantly boosting their strategic capabilities
• complements their existing F-15s and F-35.

So, what happened to the F-35? From AI: 

The F-22 Raptor's production ended early (in 2011) due to spiraling costs, the perceived lack of a near-peer threat after the Cold War, its limited relevance in counter-insurgency wars (Iraq/Afghanistan), and a strategic shift towards the more versatile, cheaper F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, despite strong USAF interest in a larger fleet. The lack of export potential (due to a US ban) also hampered economies of scale, making it a prime target for budget cuts. 

• Key reasons for early cancellation: 

• Cost Overruns: Each F-22 was extremely expensive (around $150 million each in 2009 dollars), making it a significant budget concern. 
• Post-Cold War Shift: With the Soviet Union gone, the primary threat of a massive air war against a peer adversary diminished, reducing the perceived need for such a specialized fighter. 
• Focus on Counter-Insurgency: The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan required versatile, multi-role aircraft, not just air superiority fighters, making the F-22 seem less relevant. 
• Rise of the F-35: The more affordable and versatile F-35 Lightning II offered multi-role capabilities (air-to-air, ground attack, reconnaissance) for multiple services, becoming a preferred alternative. 
• No Export Market: A 1998 law banned F-22 sales to foreign countries, preventing additional orders that could have lowered unit costs. 

Cost of an F-15: link here. It certainly looks like the F-15 is going to be the "B-52 of fighter planes" for longevity and versatility. Truly amazing. 

Currently, three fighter jets remain in production for the United States military: the F-15EX Eagle II, the F-35A/B/C Lightning II, and the F/A/18 Super Hornet. 

The F-16 Block 70/72 Fighting Falcon is also in production, but it is exclusively exported, although the production line also helps to maintain and upgrade the Air Force's existing fleet. 

All three of these aircraft are expensive, costing between $70 million and upwards of $110 million in flyaway costs per aircraft. Putting a single number on the cost of any fighter jet is difficult and problematic. This is because the cost of these aircraft is extremely complicated, and it depends on what costs are included or excluded. 

That said, the per-unit flyaway cost of an F-15EX can be estimated. 

It may come as a surprise to many, but the fly-away cost of a Boeing F-15EX is now higher than a Lockheed Martin F-35A

From AI, Summarizing President Trump's Mideast Tour May, 2025

Locator: 48656SIRTRUMP.

During President Donald Trump’s Middle East tour from May 13–16, 2025, the U.S. secured a series of major agreements across defense, technology, aviation, and diplomacy with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). These deals, collectively valued at over $2 trillion, reflect a strategic pivot toward deeper economic and geopolitical alignment with Gulf nations.

Saudi Arabia (May 13–14):

• Total Deal Value: Approximately $600 billion in U.S. investments, with potential increases up to $1 trillion
• Key Agreements: 
• Defense: A $142 billion arms deal, including advanced missile systems and F-15EX fighter jets
• Technology & AI: Nvidia and AMD agreed to supply semiconductors to Humain, a Saudi AI firm, supporting a 500-megawatt AI data center initiative
• Energy & Infrastructure: DataVolt committed to investing $20 billion into U.S. energy infrastructure and data centers
• Aviation: Discussions included potential orders for Boeing aircraft by Riyadh Air
• Diplomatic Developments: 
• President Trump announced the lifting of all U.S. sanctions on Syria, signaling a willingness to normalize relations with Syria’s new government

Qatar (May 14–15):

• Total Deal Value: Over $243.5 billion across sectors such as defense, aviation, infrastructure, and energy
• Key Agreements:
• Aviation: Qatar Airways signed an agreement to purchase up to 210 Boeing jets, marking the largest order in Boeing’s history
• Defense: A $1 billion agreement with Raytheon for counter-drone capabilities and a $1 billion contract with General Atomics for MQ-9B unmanned aerial vehicles
• Military Infrastructure: $1 billion allocated for enhancements to Al Udeid Air Base
• Diplomatic Developments:
• Qatar’s strategic repositioning as a key regional mediator was highlighted, including its role in brokering talks between adversaries

 United Arab Emirates (May 15–16):

• Total Deal Value: The UAE committed to $1.4 trillion in U.S. investments over the next 10 years, focusing on AI infrastructure, semiconductors, energy, and manufacturing
• Key Agreements: 
• Technology & AI: Establishment of the largest AI data center outside the U.S. in Abu Dhabi, in partnership with Emirati firm G42; update here; 
• Aviation: Emirates and Flydubai are exploring significant Boeing aircraft orders, including 777X widebody jets and 737 models
• Diplomatic Developments: 
• President Trump was awarded the Order of Zayed, the UAE’s highest civil decoration, underscoring strengthened bilateral ties

Broader Diplomatic Shifts

• Syria: The U.S. lifted all sanctions on Syria and engaged in direct talks with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa, marking a significant policy shift
• Iran: President Trump expressed openness to negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program, indicating a potential thaw in U.S.-Iran relations
• Houthi Ceasefire: A ceasefire agreement between the U.S. and Yemen’s Houthi movement was brokered by Oman, leading to a halt in attacks on vessels in the Red Sea 

Iraq: link here. From Charles Kennedy, so you know it's going to be good and it's going to be important.

Portland, Oregon, National Guard To Receive First Operational F-15EX; Top Speed Just Under Mach 3; Fast, But Not Stealthy -- June 2, 2024

Locator: 48026USAF.

Portland link here.

First USAF base to receive the brand new fighter was Eglin AFB in Florida, but they were for final testing. First operational F-15EX fighters are arriving at Portland, Oregon. I think I can see China from Portland.

The first operational F-15EX Eagle II fighter jets will be assigned to the 142nd Wing of the Oregon Air National Guard, the unit that intercepts hostile aircraft over the northwest United States. 

The initial instructor pilots from the Portland-based wing were at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida to fly training versions of the jet, which the Air Force said can exceed twice the speed of sound. 

“The first two will arrive this summer (2024),” said Lt. Col. Joel Thesing, the 142nd Wing’s safety officer who was among the pilots. 

In St. Louis, the first F-15EX bound for the Oregon wing rolled off the Boeing assembly line earlier this month (March, 2024). 

The Air Force has slated 18 F-15EX to be operational at the 142nd Wing by the end of 2025. 

Thesing said the exterior profile of the aircraft resembles the F-15C jets now flown by the wing, but the new jets are nimbler to maneuver and the large-area display for avionics improves a pilot’s ability to process what was going on inside and outside the aircraft. “It’s a generational leap,” he said. 

Boeing said in February the top speed for the F-15EX is 2,225 miles per hour – more than Mach 2.7 at sea level (where air is densest.)

Wiki.  

Forbes. 

Qatar.

Despite the Justice Department's concern with monopolies -- especially in the oil patch -- the department seems to have no problem with monopolies in the a/c manufacturing industries. Quick: name two other American a/c manufacturers that build planes for the US Air Force.

The first operational F-15EX Eagle II fighter jets will be assigned to the 142nd Wing of the Oregon Air National Guard, the unit that intercepts hostile aircraft over the northwest United States, the Air Force said. The initial instructor pilots from the Portland-based wing were at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida to fly training versions of the jet, which the Air Force said can exceed twice the speed of sound. “The first two will arrive this summer,” said Lt. Col. Joel Thesing, the 142nd Wing’s safety officer who was among the pilots. In St. Louis, the first F-15EX bound for the Oregon wing rolled off the Boeing assembly line earlier this month. The Air Force has slated 18 F-15EX to be operational at the 142nd Wing by the end of 2025. Thesing said the exterior profile of the aircraft resembles the F-15C jets now flown by the wing, but the new jets are nimbler to maneuver and the large-area display for avionics improves a pilot’s ability to process what was going on inside and outside the aircraft. “It’s a generational leap,” he said. Boeing said in February the top speed for the F-15EX is 2,225 miles per hour – more than Mach 2.7 at sea level.

Despit
Read more at: https://www.stripes.com/theaters/us/2024-03-27/f15ex-fighter-jet-oregon-guard-air-force-13441327.html
Source - Stars and Stripes

Let's Go Brandon -- March 30, 2024

Locator: 46869B.

Elsewhere, link here: does the F-35 make military sense? The F-35s are for "something else." A four-letter word, rhymes with Koran, and starts with the letter "i." $2.5 billion / 25 F-35A fighters = $100 million apiece

Independent cost analysis, from October, 2023:

WASHINGTON — The flyaway cost for the F-15EX Eagle II is approximately $90 million for each aircraft in the program’s second production lot, about $7.5 million more than the newest price for an F-35A. [90. - 7.5 = $82.5].

... a contract for the next three production lots of the Boeing-made F-15EX was finalized on September 28, 2023, a major milestone for the program. But the $90 million per unit cost in the contract — a number that is expected to grow in successive lots — will likely raise eyebrows among critics both within and outside the service who argue that officials should focus on buying more F-35s.

Under the new agreement, the price for an F-15EX will start at “approximately” $90 million for lot 2, rise to $97 million in lot 3 and then dip to $94 million in lot 4, according to an Air Force spokesperson. The two parties previously finalized a deal for the aircraft’s first lot in November 2022, setting a flyaway price of $80.5 million for six jets with two test aircraft already purchased — meaning the costs on the F-15EX are going up per unit year over year until the fourth lot is introduced. (The Air Force measures flyaway price in then-year dollars, which are adjusted for inflation.)

As a cost comparison, the Air Force’s variant of the stealth fighter has an “average” flyaway cost of $82.5 million for the jet’s 15th, 16th and 17th production lots, which will be delivered in calendar years 2023, 2024 and 2025.

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Flashback

Flagship for the F-15 squadron -- the 22nd Tactical Fighter Squadron -- to which I was assigned back in 1984. 

Wow, 40 years ago. 

I retired 17 years ago in my mid-50's. Great memories but no nostalgia.

Notes From All Over -- Masking And Covid-19 -- Fighters At Portland, Oregon -- August 11, 2021

Portland, Oregon, Air National Guard: F-15C's launching today, but also a couple of F-35's. Same organization scheduled to receive F-15EX's in 2023. 

The USAF intends to acquire 144 F-15EXs from Boeing. The 142ndWing at Portland will become the first operational unit to fly the aircraft, while the 173rd Fighter Wing is expected to serve as the F-15EX formal training unit in 2024. Link here.

Jobs: I remember how difficult it was to find a summer job before heading off to college in the late 60's / early 70's. Not true today. I'm sure any enterprising teenager could actually land two jobs. Link at The WSJ. And, here, "job openings continue to explode."

Tokyo Olympics: "everyone" is now reporting this but when it's a front page story in The WSJ, it's a thing. Breitbart probably summarizes it best: https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2021/08/10/nolte-woke-olympics-lowest-rated-ever-winter-summer/.  

Apple, Inc: moving to 3nm pretty quickly. Definition of "3nm" is changing. 

Elon Musk: launching UND EERC satellite oil field monitoring sensors. Link here. If link breaks, google North Dakota iPipe initiative to monitor pipeline link.

Pore space: Bakken "pore space" becoming an issue in the Bakken. Link here.

CO2 emissions: all-time record at Martha's Vineyard Airport over past weekend where elite celebrated President Obama's birthday bash. Link here. 

Crude oil in US: supply has jumped from 27.2 days to 27.5 days for the last week in July, 2021. Link here. 

India: gasoline demand has surpassed pre-Covid-19 levels, July, 2021. Link here.

South Korea: price differential favors US crude over Saudi Arabian crude in 2H21 amid rising Aramco prices. Link here.

China: crude oil inventories dropping. Short term, imports may have dropped due to slowing economic activity but long term, the tea leaves suggest there is going to be a significant supply/demand mismatch. If so, my hunch is that the mismatch won't last long. At $65-WTI, everyone wins.

Bakken:

• cycle time for putting wells online has improved by 50 percent;
• completed well costs have dropped by 30 percent;
• key CLR metrics being reported by The Williston Herald over at twitter

US ten-year treasury yield at three-year high: 1.336% reported at 1:48 a.m. August 10, 2021.

Nissan: Tennessee plant to close for two weeks due to chip shortage. 

Steel: US hot-rolled coil spot prices hitting all-time highs. I suppose that could be an indication of the health of the US economy.

Covid-19:

• CDC greatly exaggerates daily Covid-19 rate in Florida; most of us doubt it was an "innocent mistake"; when one sees an outlier number like that, most "scientists" take another look before reporting it. Florida CDC data here;
• one wonders what other "innocent mistakes" have been made? 
• best video today -- the insanity and hypocrisy -- link here.
  

Nothing About The Bakken -- A Walk Down Memory Lane -- February 11, 2021

Back in the day, this was my primary assigned aircraft, the two-seat F-15D. Most likely the photo below is of the F-15E Strike Eagle, but doesn't matter. It's still a great photo and brings back lots of memories. That would be me, the GIB, the guy-in-back.

Welcome to my world: I had no choice -- every pilot I flew with was a whole lot braver than I was. LOL. 

The other day on the blog I mentioned that the newest model of the F-15 is now flying, and the USAF is preparing for delivery:

• F-15EX flies for first time as USAF prepares for deliveries;

I wouldn't have bothered to post this but I'm listening to music in between Bakken posts and taking a break. I happened to run across this article on the F-15EX in the April, 2020, issue of Air & Space Magazine.  And speaking of great photos, this is a pretty cool photo:

For the archives, for the grandchildren.

With regard to the F-15EX, the linked article begins:

The Boeing F-15EX will be the latest and most capable variant of an airplane that has been in uninterrupted production since its first flight in 1972. It began life as an air-superiority fighter known as the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle and later morphed into a two-seat, multi-role ground pounder dubbed the F-15E Strike Eagle. Long after the Air Force took delivery of its final F-15E in 2004, the St. Louis plant continued to build F-15s for sales to allies ranging from Israel to South Korea. Today, the wings being put together in Building 27A will be attached to an F-15QA destined for Qatar, while completed F-15SAs coming out of Building 67 are headed for Saudi Arabia. But the F-15EX will be smarter and more powerful than both.

“It’s a living, breathing, evolving platform,” says Boeing vice president for F-15 programs Prat Kumar. “The most recent avatar of F-15 is nothing like what was used 45 years ago. Frankly, it’s nothing like what the Air Force bought 15 or 20 years ago. F-15EX has a fly-by-wire flight-control system and one of the fastest, most capable mission computers in the world. It has an advanced, all-glass cockpit that can display synthesized data in a way that is useful for the warfighter. It has the most advanced radar on any fighter jet, and it carries more weapons than any other fighter.”

The Department of Defense 2020 budget request includes $1 billion to procure eight F-15EXs for the Air Force, with plans to acquire an additional 72 airplanes over the next four years to replace outdated and overworked F-15Cs and Ds that are ready to be retired. This would be a financial bonanza for Boeing, which has already landed a Navy contract for another so-called legacy aircraft, the F/A-18 Super Hornet.

Fast And Furious -- Mid-Morning Edition -- Nothing About The Bakken -- February 9, 2021

NASCAR race tonight: 6:00 p.m. CT -- Daytona. 

The market: who wudda guessed? Dow turns green. Barely. NASDAQ turns green. Russell 2000 green. Seven-day streak in the making? 

Disclaimer: this is not an investment site.  Do not make any investment, financial, job, career, travel, or relationship decisions based on what you read here or think you may have read here.

From a reader:

Why is it wrong to call it the China Virus, but okay to call it UK variant or the South African variant?  Just wondering.

The headlines:

• Manhattan office supply soars to record as remote-working dominates;
• Tesla:
  
• excluding sunsetting emission credit sales Tesla still loses money, as it has every year in its 17-year existence;
• Tesla summoned by Chinese regulators over quality issues; The WSJ; at twitter;
• charging stations: 1;
• charging stations: 2;
  
• F-15EX flies for first time as USAF prepares for deliveries; 
• BP screwed;

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The Sports Page

Updates

5:43 p.m. CT: I've literally watched every sports talk show on television today, from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and every show has led off with "the ad." Near the end of the day the Cowobys organization finally weighed in, saying it was an "oversight." LOL. That guarantees this story will continue into tomorrow. It will not end until Dak Prescott himself has weighed in and analysts have exhausted parsing his remarks.

Original Post

The most brilliant "ad" ever? 

The Dallas Cowboys commercial released today to encourage Dallas fans to buy season tickets.

This commercial -- 32 seconds long -- has been playing all morning on every sports talk television show. 

The "talking heads" are laughing at the ad, but again, there is no serious analysis, asking "why?"

The "controversy": the 32-second ad encouraging Dallas fans to buy season tickets does not include any footage of Dak Prescott, but Troy Aikman does make the cut.

The immediate question whenever an ad is released: who is the audience?

The audience for this ad:

• Dallas fans
• Dak Prescott
• the organization

Dallas fans:

• this suggests to me the internal polling showed there is no love lost between Dallas fans and Dak Prescott; 
• internal polling might suggest that as great as Dak Prescott is, he is no Troy Aikman; not featuring him in the ad will not hurt season ticket sales; 
• if there's one thing Texans pride themselves in, it's loyalty -- not just sports fans, but Texans across the board -- patriotism, loyalty -- holding out for more pay, shorter contract does not exemplify loyalty; Dak said he would stay with Dallas only as long as the pay reflected his "self-appraised" value;
  

Dak Prescott:

• need we say more?
  

the organization:

• this is the biggie;
• this ad has been playing nationwide all morning long; more exposure than the Dallas Cowboys could have gotten any other way; huge amount of exposure
• Jerry Jones: the Dallas Cowboys -- "America's team" -- this kind of exposure is priceless
• any other NFL team getting this kind of exposure just two days after the Super Bowl? Nope.
  
• Jerry Jones is the organization; is the team; the 32-second ad is about the Cowboys, not about Dak
• if the ad is about the Cowboys, no one is going to get higher billing than Jerry Jones

Bottom line:

• brilliant ad;