In 2004, Boeing handed over the last of the ordered F-15E Strike Eagle multirole fighters to the US Air Force, and the fleet has not been replenished since. In recent years, measures have been taken to update the material part, and their result in the near future will be the appearance of new-built F-15 aircraft. The current military budget allows the Pentagon to purchase several fighters of the latest modification of the F-15EX.
Funding for modernization
For the first time, data on the Boeing F-15X project (later the designation F-15EX appeared) in its current form was published in mid-2018. The reason for the appearance of this development was the desire of the Air Force to update the existing fleet of tactical aircraft. The existing F-15C / D Eagle fighters no longer meet current requirements and require replacement or deep modernization.
In response to a request from the Pentagon, Boeing developed and presented a new upgrade option for the existing aircraft. The project with the letters X / EX was created on the basis of the recently developed F-15QA - a modification of the F-15E for the requirements of the Qatar Air Force. Aircraft of the QA and X / EX versions differ from the base F-15E in a set of onboard equipment, a set of weapons, etc.
As early as December 2018, the US Air Force announced its plans for the new F-15EX. The draft military budget for the 2020 financial year provided for the purchase of 12 such aircraft with a total value of 1.2 billion dollars. Later plans were revised. In the next version of the draft budget for the F-15EX project, only 1.1 billion were allocated - for the purchase of eight aircraft. This number included two prototypes and six units of the pilot batch. Such plans appeared in March, and a few months later were included in the approved version of the military budget.
According to the updated plans, the Air Force wants to receive 144 aircraft of a new type. In parallel, the construction of new machines and the modernization of existing ones will be carried out. It is expected that the emergence of a significant number of F-15EX will gradually write off or radically upgrade the outdated F-15C / D and thereby improve the overall condition of the fighter fleet.
Real steps
After not too long discussions and the formation of plans, the Pentagon begins to implement its intentions. On January 28, a couple of documents appeared on the US government procurement portal on the acquisition of new aviation equipment and components for it.
The first document stipulates the Pentagon's plans for the F-15EX aircraft. The Air Force intends to sign a new contract with Boeing to renew its fleet of equipment. The contract belongs to the ID / IQ category and does not stipulate the exact number of equipment and the timing of its delivery. The main method of releasing new equipment will be the modernization of existing machines.
A similar document has also been published that addresses power plant issues. The contract for the supply of engines is awarded to General Electric Aviation. It will have to supply a certain number of F110 turbojet engines envisaged by the F-15EX project for an indefinite period of time.
It is noted that both contracts are being prepared in full compliance with the law. Choosing a single supplier for each product is not a violation and also fully ensures that the customer's requirements are met.
By February 7, Boeing and General Electric must give their response to the proposals of the military department. After that, the necessary negotiations will take place, during which the terms of the future contract will be determined. Agreements for the supply of equipment and other work may appear before the end of the current fiscal year. At the same time, the necessary funding will be received, provided for by the current budget.
In fact, the Pentagon is launching preparations for the production of F-15EX aircraft. These measures are interesting for a number of reasons. First of all, because the next project for the modernization of the F-15 fighter comes to practical implementation. Another reason is the timing of the appearance of the project and the corresponding contracts. The last F-15E was handed over to the US Air Force more than 15 years ago, and the newest contract of this kind was signed almost 20 years ago. Thus, the production and deep modernization of the F-15 family equipment will be resumed after a record long hiatus.
Aircraft for replacement
According to open data, the United States currently has a not too large fleet of F-15 fighters of all major modifications - almost 450 aircraft remain in service. Most of this equipment is listed in the Air Force. A significant number of aircraft belong to the National Guard.
The main operator of the F-15C / D / E is the United States Air Force. In their units there are 89 F-15C aircraft, a total of 6 F-15D units and 210 relatively new F-15Es. The Air National Guard includes 123 single-seat F-15Cs and 17 two-seat F-15Ds. Newer F-15Es were not transferred to the National Guard. Only the Air Force has equipment of this version - about 210 units.
The well-known plans of the Pentagon provide for the introduction into service of 144 aircraft of the new modification of the F-15EX. Some of the required equipment will be built, and the rest will be converted from existing fighters of old modifications. The exact number of aircraft planned for construction or alteration remains unknown.
Outdated F-15C / D fighters will be replaced first of all. The Air Force has less than a hundred of these machines, which are no longer distinguished by high combat qualities. They will be replaced by new F-15EX or rebuilt according to a modern design, which will lead to understandable consequences. Also, a number of newer F-15E Strike Eagle will be sent for modernization - with the same results.
The plans for the Air Force of the National Guard have not yet been specified, but it can be assumed that this structure will not yet have to master the promising F-15EX. However, as always happens, some aircraft of old modifications may be transferred to it. Over time, the National Guard will even be able to count on receiving modern F-15Es.
In the early stages of the discussion of the F-15X / EX project, concerns were expressed about its possible impact on other purchases in favor of the Air Force. In particular, according to one of the versions, in order to acquire the F-15EX, the Pentagon would have to reduce spending on the purchase of F-35 aircraft. Recent reports clarify that no such reductions are planned. The purchases of the two fighters will be carried out in parallel and without mutual influence.
In general, the Air Force does not yet plan to reduce the number of types of equipment in service. As a consequence, in the coming years, fighter aircraft will include a number of modifications of the F-15 aircraft, not the newest F-16, as well as modern F-22 and F-35. Obsolete cars will be repaired and modernized, but they are not going to abandon them yet.
Deep modernization
The development of the new Boeing F-15X / EX project was started in connection with the gradual obsolescence of the existing equipment. The previous version of the fighter, the F-15E, was built until the mid-2000s, but progress did not stand still. In this regard, in the new project, measures were taken to integrate modern equipment and improve combat qualities.
It differs from its predecessor F-15EX in improved surveillance and detection, providing all-round visibility in multiple spectra. A modern airborne radar with AFAR is located under the nose cone. Onboard facilities can be used both for target detection and in conjunction with a defense complex. The cockpit equipment has been radically updated, which simplifies the work of the pilot.
The new GE F110 engines provide superior performance as payload increases. The latter has been increased from 10.4 to 13.4 tons. Universal arms holders AMBER with enhanced capabilities have been introduced. Due to this, the F-15EX can carry up to 22 small air-to-air missiles or up to 28 SDB bombs.
From drawings to service
It should be noted that at the moment all these advantages exist only on paper. Boeing has already completed most of the design work and, until recently, was awaiting an official request from the customer. The necessary document has appeared, and within the next few days a new stage of the program will start.
In the near future, the Pentagon and Boeing will hold negotiations and determine the terms of work on the F-15EX. Then two prototype aircraft will be built and tested, followed by a small pilot batch. And only after that (probably in a few years) the Air Force will be able to order full-scale serial production or modernization of existing equipment. Thus, the newest project F-15EX aims to bring significant benefits to the US Air Force. But this will not happen too soon.
