The f-15EX has a two-seat fighter that
will feature capabilities that are
completely unique to the air force's
version. It will offer fly-by-wire flight
controls, new weapon stations, a new
electronic warfare suite,, advanced radar
and computer, conformal fuel tanks and a
strengthened airframe. Even as the United States air force
continues to acquire the fifth
generation lockheed martin F-35
lightning II fighter jet. The service
will also be receiving the latest
updated version of the boeing F-15 Tetta
platform that first took flight long
before many of today's pilots were even
born. However, the F-15EX is far more advanced
than the original F-15A that was
introduced in 1974 and entered service
two years later.
Last summer the department of the air
force announced that it has awarded a
nearly 1.2 billion dollars contract for
its first lot of eight f-15EX fighter
aircraft. Which will replace the oldest F-15C ds in the current fleet, that purchase was approved in the fiscal
year 2020 budget and 12 additional
aircraft were requested in the fy 21
budget. Pending congressional approval, over the
next five years the air force could
receive up to 200 of the 21st century
version of the cold war fighters.
The service had previously announced
plans to acquire the F-15EX as part of
the future years defense program. It is part of a long-term 23 billion
dollars program that will update the air
force's aging fleet of fighter jets
while also providing a cost competitive
alternative for lockheed martin's F-35
joint strike fighter. Additionally the contract would give a
second life to the F-15 production line
in st louis mo.
The air force currently flies 235 of the F-15C these that were set to be
decommissioned or upgraded. While efforts have been made to keep
other aging platforms such as the B-52
and B-1 bombers updated with a series of
improvements, but in this case it was
determined it would be cheaper and more
cost effective to send those old
warbirds to pasture and replace them
with the new F-15EX variant.
Externally the aircraft may resemble the
original F-15 jet, but as boeing has sold
the proven platform to international
partners such as South Korea and more
recently Kuwait. It has steadily improved
the aircraft. As a result the united states air force
has determined that it could be a
reliable and more importantly affordable
fighter to complement the F-35 jet.
The air force has estimated F-15EX fighter shares about 70 percent of parts
with the current F-15C's and F-15s that
they will be replacing. Not only are the original production
lines in st louis still in place but the
training facilities maintenance depots
and other infrastructure can be also be
readily shifted to F-15EX support. The result as a fighter will be easier
to build and quicker to put into service
while it will also result in a platform
that can be maintained more easily than
an equal number of F-35 jets.
Boeing has also noted that the F-15EX can enable rapid technology insertion
that will ensure the platform's
relevance for decades to come. This will be accomplished via an open
mission systems architecture which can
deliver advanced battle management
systems capabilities. Allowing the F-15EX to operate independently while isolated
but also to reconnect to the global
cloud.
