 Then in April 2017, Air Force officials announced plans to retire the F-15C/D in the mid-2020s and press more F-16s into roles occupied by the F-15.In December 2018 Bloomberg Government reported that the Pentagon, not the Air Force, in its 2020 budget request, will likely request US$1.2 billion for 12 new-built F-15X fighters to replace older F-15Cs operated by Air National Guard units.The F-15E will remain in service for years to come because of the model's primary air-to-ground role and the lower number of hours on the F-15E airframes.