The development of tactical aviation in the United States Air Force is leading to interesting results. Despite the presence of two fighters of the current 5th generation and a project of a fundamentally new aircraft, the Pentagon intends to purchase a large number of modernized F-15EX Eagle II machines. These aircraft formally belong to the previous 4th generation, but they will have to serve in the foreseeable and distant future.
The problem and its solution
At the moment, the fighter aircraft of the US Air Force has a specific composition. The armament consists of four types of equipment and seven modifications. The oldest aircraft were built at the turn of the seventies and eighties, and the last deliveries of modern technology took place this year.
The task of fighting for air superiority is assigned to the F-15C / D / E fighters, built before the beginning of the 2000s, as well as to the newer F-22A. According to The Military Balance, the Air Force has about a hundred older F-15C / Ds and approx. 220 newer F-15E. The number of combat-ready F-22A is estimated at 165 units. The National Guard has about 140 F-15C / D and 20 F-22A.
At the same time, the state of the fighter fleet leaves much to be desired. The F-15C / D are morally outdated and close to depleting a resource, and the F-22A was discontinued 10 years ago. A full replacement with the necessary capabilities in the form of a promising NGAD fighter is expected in the troops only by the end of the decade.
Other Air Force and National Guard fighters, such as the old F-16C / D or the newer F-35A, are highly effective as front-line bombers, but have limited capabilities as fighters of conquest and dominance. In addition, the F-16C / D are facing obsolescence, and the production of modern F-35A is behind the desired schedule.
The current state of affairs in supremacy fighters is considered unacceptable and urgent by the Pentagon. In 2018, Boeing proposed a deep modernization project for the US Air Force, the F-15X, with a focus on counter-air capabilities.
Given the current situation, the Air Force approved this proposal with reservations, as a result of which Boeing received orders for the full development of the project and the subsequent construction of equipment. The new version of the old aircraft was designated F-15EX. Not so long ago, it was given the name Eagle II - by analogy with the basic modification.
Plans and work
In July last year, the Pentagon and Boeing signed a framework contract for the serial production of promising F-15EX. Its total cost reaches $ 22.9 billion, and supplies of equipment will be carried out until 2030. Earlier it was reported that the Air Force plans to purchase 144 new aircraft. In later news, which have not yet received official confirmation, there are already 200 units. technology.
Simultaneously with the framework contract, an agreement was signed for the production of the first "small" batch (LRIP) of eight fighters, costing approx. $ 1.2 billion. The first two were planned to be handed over to the customer no later than Q1 2021. The rest are expected by FY2023. The first batch is intended for testing by Air Force specialists. After its delivery, full-fledged mass production will begin with the aim of re-equipping combat units.
The first F-15EXs are being built at the Boeing plant in St. Louis. The lead aircraft of the first batch was completed at the beginning of this year, and on February 2, it made its first flight. Factory tests took about a month, and on March 10, the car was officially handed over to the customer. The next day, she flew to Eglin Air Base and joined the 40th Test Squadron, which will have to carry out all the necessary checks before putting the equipment into service.
It is reported that the re-equipment of combat units of the Air Force of the Armed Forces and the National Guard will begin in 2024-25. With the new F-15EX, the Eagle II will replace the outdated C and D F-15s. It should be recalled that the total number of such equipment in the army reaches 240 units. Accordingly, future purchases of 144 to 200 new Eagle IIs will not allow for a quantitatively equivalent retrofit. However, it will be possible to compensate for the numerical losses through qualitative growth.
Foreign orders may appear in the future. So, at the end of February, Boeing was allowed to participate in an Indian tender for the purchase of a modern fighter jet. Whether the F-15EX will be of interest to the Indian Air Force will become known later. If successful in the United States and India, the new Eagle II can count on the attention of other countries.
Benefits and Limitations
In fact, the F-15EX fighter is a temporary measure, with the help of which they plan to solve one of the urgent problems of the Air Force. As often happens, such a solution turns out to be a compromise, and provides not only advantages, but also limitations. Judging by the official statements, the Pentagon understands this and is ready to make certain "sacrifices" to solve the existing problems.
The F-15EX fighter for the US Air Force was developed on the basis of the F-15QA project, previously created for Qatar. The Eagle II differs from the previous modifications by an improved airframe with a service life of 20 thousand flight hours. Conformal fuel tanks were used, providing an increase in range and combat radius. The updated composition of radio-electronic equipment of open architecture is used. To improve the basic combat qualities, a modern radar with an AFAR of the AN / APG-85 type is being introduced.
The developer claims that the upgraded aircraft is compatible with a wide range of existing and future aircraft weapons. Depending on the assigned missions, the F-15EX will be able to carry up to 22 air-to-air missiles on the external sling. In addition, it provides for the possibility of attacking ground targets. In this case, the fighter will be able to use ammunition up to 22 feet (6, 7 m) long and 7,000 pounds (3, 8 tons), incl. hypersonic weapons.
Being a development of an old aircraft, the modern F-15EX is not inconspicuous, which is considered a disadvantage and imposes certain restrictions. Eagle II will not be able to work effectively in areas covered by enemy air defenses. Its use over foreign territory will be possible only after the preliminary destruction of anti-aircraft systems by other aircraft, such as the F-35A.
However, not only the new F-15EX but also the older F-15C / D / E face the problem of visibility and limited combat value. At the same time, the modern Eagle II has a number of technical and combat advantages over its predecessors. The expected benefits are expected to outweigh any drawbacks.
Past and future
In the distant past, the US Air Force planned to acquire hundreds of 5th generation F-22A fighters and, with their help, replace the aging F-15C / D / E. Due to this, they were going to create a large fleet of air superiority fighters with some capabilities to attack ground targets. However, for obvious reasons, the purchases of the F-22A were sharply reduced, and less than 200 of these machines arrived in the unit - which did not allow the replacement of the old F-15s.
Further processes of building aircraft and updating the Air Force were also not distinguished by simplicity and high speed, as a result of which serious problems have accumulated to date. The solution for them had to be sought not in new projects, but in the modernization of old aviation equipment. It was another modification of the old fighter - the F-15EX Eagle II.
Taking into account the F-15EX project, plans for the further development of American combat aviation look quite interesting. It is proposed to continue full-scale production of the F-35 of all modifications for various branches of the military, including the Air Force. In parallel, the Air Force and the National Guard will build a new F-15EX on the old platform. And until the end of this decade, the Air Force will receive new equipment of only these types - until the appearance of serial NGADs.
Thus, the Pentagon nevertheless found a way out of the difficult situation that has been forming in recent decades. Overly ambitious plans to transfer the Air Force to "technology of the future" were not fully realized, and now we have to return to the previous generation of fighters. With all the limitations and possible reputational losses, this step allows you to get rid of a number of technical risks and reduce the threat to further rearmament of the Air Force.
