Boeing’s F-15EX Eagle II brings such capability to the table that there has been evidence of a considerable re-evaluation of its mission set in U.S. Air Force service.
Following a gap between deliveries of the first two aircraft and subsequent units, the combined operational and developmental test fleet at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida has received six aircraft for trials. On June 5, Boeing delivered the first aircraft to the 123rd Fighter Squadron “Redhawks” of the Air National Guard at Portland, Oregon. It delivered a second unit to Portland in early July.
Per its original plans, the Air Force intended the bulk of F-15EX deliveries to go to the Air National Guard, primarily for homeland defense missions. Two more Air National Guard units in California and Louisiana are slated to obtain the Eagle II for that role. The Air Force also expected the two-seat aircraft to operate with a single pilot.
More recently, though, those plans have shifted as the aircraft demonstrates its considerable multirole capability. The most obvious evidence of this shift is the recent announcement that the next units to receive the type would be two active-duty squadrons within the 18th Wing at Kadena on the Japanese island of Okinawa.
Boeing designed the F-15EX to be capable of single-pilot operations in addition to missions with a weapon systems officer in the rear cockpit. This has obvious applications to deployed operations and complex long-range strike missions and provides considerable scope for future duties such as controlling uncrewed collaborative combat aircraft.
The Eagle II is similar to the Qatari F-15QA displayed at Farnborough by Boeing test pilots en route Qatar for a delivery. The USAF’s Eagle IIs do not currently feature the QA's conformal fuel tanks, but they are relatively simple to install should the Air Force decide to purchase them.
The F-15EX features RTX’s APG-82(V)1 AESA radar, which is already demonstrating its air-to-air performance in the U.S. Air Force’s F-15E fleet, which is being retrofitted with the new radar.
On April 13, F-15Es fitted with the APG-82(V)1 engaged and shot down all of the 70-plus Shahed drones that entered their assigned sector during the mass Iranian attack on Israel. Another key system is the BAE Systems ALQ-250 EPAWSS electronic warfare suite that provides 360-degree active and passive protection for the Eagle II.
The F-15EXs are powered by GE Aerospace’s F110-GE-129 engine, as are most recent production Advanced Eagle variants. However, Boeing has received inquiries from potential customers concerning the rival Pratt & Whitney F100. While the GE engine is considered the baseline, the P&W powerplant could also be installed—albeit with some time and cost considerations due to the need for additional integration testing and software changes required in the flight and engine control software.
Boeing has received interest in the F-15EX from existing Eagle operators, either for new aircraft from air arms seeking a major fleet refresh, such as Israel, or for elements to the aircraft being incorporated into existing Eagles, as is the case with Japan’s F-15J upgrade program.
Potential new customers include Indonesia, which signed an agreement in August last year covering the supply of 24 Eagle IIs, for which it has already received state department export approval. Poland has also expressed a need for an air dominance fighter to complement its F-16 and F-35 fleet, with the F-15EX regarded as a front-runner.