Why F-15EX is Important for USAF

The F15EX is based primarily on the F15QA of Qatar. But it has a number of improvements, which were not offered to export customers. Boeing has been able to make a number of improvements in the F15, taking advantage of the more than 5 billion it has received from export customers. Boeing claims that the F15EX has undergone five major upgrades that make it more lethal, reliable and affordable than previous versions.

F-15EX Background:

The F15EX is intended to replace the F15C and D aircraft used by the US Air Force. Boeing claims that the F15EX will be a backbone for the US Air Force and will be in service by 2050. The aircraft will be capable of carrying a 22 feet long and 7,000-pound hypersonic air-launched missile, which F35 cannot carry in its internal bay. The weapon’s potential speed is expected to exceed Mach Five. According to Boeing, F15ex will be far ahead of the current fourth-generation aircraft and will be considered 4.5 generations. Although many of its features and capabilities are inferior to stealth aircraft such as the F-35 and F-22 Raptor used by the US Air Force, However it is ahead of both, in terms of reliability, speed and payload. Boeing has declared the EX advanced in five different ways. Now let’s talk about them one by one.

Protection:

The F15EX uses the Eagle Passive Active Warning and Survival System. As far as radar is concerned, it uses active electronically scanned radar APG 82 V1 by Raytheon. This radar allows it to detect, identify and track more targets than previous versions, as well as engage multiple air and surface targets over long ranges.

According to Boeing, the F15EX comes with advanced radar and sensors, along with the F15EX Fully Integrated Electronic Warfare Suite, which provides it with full-spectrum protection, a dominant platform for dealing with current and future threats. In other words, thanks to its improved, radar, sensors and electronic warfare suite, the F15EX is not only safer than previous versions and competitors of the same category but will also be able to deal with emerging threats on the battlefield.

Weapon Carriage:

Boeing claims that the F15EX can carry not only more weapons with higher payload capacity, In fact, but it also has the ability to carry hypersonic weapons that cannot be carried on F-35 or F22 Raptor internal bay. F15ex can carry 12 Air to Air Missile in A2A configuration, there are reports of 15 air-to-ground weapons that can be carried on this aircraft, while it has separate hardpoints for pods.

Mission Management:

The F15EX’s advanced cockpit gives the pilot access to real-time battlefield information. This will not only reduce the pilot’s workload but also allow him to make decisions quickly and improve mission management. The F15EX is a two-seater aircraft, but thanks to the digital fly-by-wire flight control system, digital cockpit and advanced avionics, it can be easily flown by a single pilot.

Interoperability and cost-effectiveness:

The F15EX is a flexible and fast integrated aircraft. It will take a few months, not a few years, for the new F15 to enter service and gain initial operational capability. Boeing has also described the F15EX as a cost-effective aircraft in terms of acquisition and operational cost. In addition, 90% of the existing infrastructure will be usable for the F15EX, and 80% of the spare part.

Engine and Power:

The first eight units of the F15EX will be powered by General Electric’s F110 GE129 engine, which generates 30,000 pounds of thrust. While all F15 aircraft have used Pratt & Whitney engines before, Pratt & Whitney has offered its F100 PW229 engine for the F15EX, which is likely to be the Future F15 engine, Will be installed on EX units. Its thrust is reported to be 29,160 pounds.

F35 and F15EX Comparison:

Although both are separate class and category aircraft, the F35 and F15EX have been compared by some defense experts. The F35, for example, is capable of carrying 22,000 pounds of munitions, flying at altitudes of 50,000 feet can fly up to 670 miles. F35 speed is around Mach 1.6. Similarly, the F15EX can carry 29,500-pound weapons flies at an altitude of 60,000 feet, as well as a range of 1,100 miles. On the other hand, EX speed is 2.5 Mach. The F35 has an operational cost of US $ 35,000 and the F15EX’s per hour flying cost is around $ 27,000. The unit cost of the F15EX is estimated at $ 80 million. On the other hand, the per-unit cost of the F35 is around $ 100 million. However, being a stealth aircraft, the Russian S-400 Air Defence System can detect the F35 at a distance of 21 miles, however, the same system can detect the F15EX at a distance of 200 miles.

F-15EX US Air Force Order:

The US Air Force currently uses more than 230 F15Cs and Ds. About $ 23 billion is expected to be spent on the F15EX. Initially, 76 F15EX aircraft will be purchased, but later USAF is likely to increase the order to 144 and subsequently to 200. These new F15EXs will be able to serve in the US Air Force until 2050.

Stay connected with us for the latest updates. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.