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| Science & Technology |
| What Makes the New F-15EX Special? |
| 2021-03-27 |
| [NationalInterest] As part of the National Defense Strategy, the Air Force is required to purchase seventy-two combat aircraft per year, and the upgraded F-15EX has been seen as the best way to meet those goals. Last year, the Air Force awarded Boeing a $1.2 billion production contract to build and deliver eight F-15EX aircraft, with two arriving this year followed by an additional six in 2023. All will be deployed to Elgin AFB. The two-seat fighter with U.S.-only capabilities was developed as a next-generation variant of the combat-tested, 1980s-era F-15 fighter. It is still a fourth-generation aircraft, but its developers have highlighted the fact that the plane's new adapted technologies and upgradeability make it a viable, lethal, high-threat environment-capable attack platform. The F-15 has already subsequently evolved to encompass more roles, most notably with the deployment of the F-15E Strike Eagle in 1989, when it saw the addition of substantial air-to-ground capability, including a second cockpit for a weapons systems operator. |
| Posted by:Bobby |
| #5 Okay if it replaces aging F-15 Strike Eagles They are replacing older F-15C/Ds. It's still a 50 year old airframe design in a world ruled by stealth. Their main contribution is to throw Boeing a lifeline. The EXs will be OK as long as they don't deploy overseas against advanced SAMs and fighters. |
| Posted by: Chunky Threns3935 2021-03-27 14:11 |
| #4 ...IIRC, it's also going to be a missile truck (AIM-120Ds with a 85 nm range and the upcoming AIM-260, which will have a 100 nm+ range), datalinked to AWACS and other AD radars. When they launch it will look like the big battle finish in Independence Day, and the bad guys won't know anything is wrong until they're hit. Mike |
| Posted by: Mike Kozlowski 2021-03-27 11:02 |
| #3 Okay if it replaces aging F-15 Strike Eagles as they wear out. |
| Posted by: magpie 2021-03-27 10:44 |
| #2 What Makes the New F-15EX Special? um. the pricetag? |
| Posted by: Mercutio 2021-03-27 10:43 |
| #1 The future is drones and stand off weapons. Improvements in stealth tech will be in a constant battle with improvements in radar / other sensors. |
| Posted by: M. Murcek 2021-03-27 10:11 |