The maiden F-15EX Eagle II, a demonstration of Boeing’s advanced engineering prowess, has made its inaugural appearance in St. Louis. This momentous event announced on Boeing’s official social media accounts, signifies the readiness of the aircraft for delivery to a U.S. Air Force squadron, scheduled later this year.
- India is trying to ‘screw up’ the sale of US F-16s to Argentina
- New F-15’s avatar called F-15EX will carry GBU-57 ‘bunker buster’
- Su-35 will chase the Mideast F-16s/F-35s or disrupt their refueling
Depicted crossing a street that serves as a boundary line between Boeing’s manufacturing complex and the nearby airport, the aircraft, still donned in its preliminary layers of yellow and green primer, presents an intriguing spectacle. The perspective from which the image was captured reveals that while the aircraft is still bereft of a complete canopy, it nonetheless boasts all other essential structural components.
The culmination of an almost two-and-a-half-year-long hiatus, marked by the final delivery of the F-15EX aircraft, signifies a noteworthy milestone in the annals of the Air Force. This event, transpiring in late March to early April of 2021, followed the initial introduction of the first pair of these formidable machines.
The initial pair of Eagle IIs, boasting a marginally disparate configuration, was duly dispatched to the Air Force’s test squadron, thereby setting a unique precedent for subsequent deliveries.
In the wake of the fiscal 2020 budget approval, the United States Air Force expressed a pressing need for the swift delivery of the initial two test aircraft. In response to this urgent request, Boeing, a major player in the aerospace industry, made an executive decision to reroute two aircraft from their F-15QA production batch, originally slated for Qatar. These aircraft were subsequently delivered bearing U.S. markings, a testament to Boeing’s commitment to meeting the demands of their contracts promptly and efficiently.
In a display of meticulous engineering, the inaugural pair of F-15EX aircraft christened as the Eagle IIs, have been handed over to Air Force testers. Uniquely, these aircraft are equipped with a provision for a missile approach warning system, a feature that diverges from the standard U.S. configuration.
Although the initial pair of aircraft are not identical replicas, they have successfully undergone a sequence of critical evaluations. These include the revalidation of stations 1 and 9, a process that permits each F-15EX to accommodate up to twelve missiles. Earlier models of F-15s had to discontinue the use of stations 1 and 9 due to apprehensions about flutter. However, the implementation of a fly-by-wire enhancement, sanctioned for the Royal Saudi Air Force’s F-15SA, enabled Boeing’s engineers to mitigate the flutter risk. This was achieved using automated digital signals generated by the flight control system.
The initial timetable of the Air Force projected the receipt of the inaugural operational model of the F-15EX from Boeing in December 2022. Unfortunately, this has been subjected to a delay of eight months. The Government Accountability Office, in a cautionary statement issued in June, indicated that this deviation from the planned schedule introduces a potential hazard of Boeing failing to meet subsequent schedule landmarks, including the attainment of initial operational capability.
About F-15EX Eagle II
The F-15EX Eagle II is the latest variant of the F-15 fighter jet, developed by Boeing for the United States Air Force (USAF). It is an upgraded version of the F-15E Strike Eagle, which has been in service since the 1980s.
The F-15EX is designed to replace the older F-15C/D models, which have been in service for over 40 years. The first F-15EX was delivered to the USAF in March 2021.
The F-15EX Eagle II is equipped with a wide range of armament, including air-to-air missiles, air-to-ground missiles, and bombs. It can carry up to 22 air-to-air missiles, such as the AIM-120 AMRAAM and AIM-9X Sidewinder, and up to 28,000 pounds of air-to-ground weapons, including JDAM and Small Diameter Bomb (SDB). The F-15EX also has a 20mm cannon for close-range combat.
Improvements
The F-15EX Eagle II has several technical upgrades compared to previous versions of the F-15. It has a new digital cockpit with large-area displays and advanced avionics, which provide pilots with enhanced situational awareness and mission capabilities. The F-15EX also has a new fly-by-wire flight control system, which improves its maneuverability and reduces pilot workload. Additionally, the F-15EX has a new electronic warfare suite, which enhances its ability to detect and defeat enemy threats.
The F-15EX Eagle II differs from other versions of the F-15 in several ways. It has a longer service life and lower operating costs than the older F-15C/D models, which makes it a more cost-effective option for the USAF. The F-15EX also has a more advanced mission system, which allows it to perform a wider range of missions than previous versions. Finally, the F-15EX has a larger weapons capacity and can carry a wider range of weapons than previous versions, which makes it a more versatile fighter jet.
***
Follow us everywhere and at any time. BulgarianMilitary.com has responsive design and you can open the page from any computer, mobile devices or web browsers. For more up-to-date news, follow our Google News, YouTube, Reddit, LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook pages. Our standards: Manifesto & ethical principles.