F15-EX Overview, Specification, Performance

[Khafee]

Boeing says it expedite delivery to the US air force by 2020 instead of 2022. Wondering how is different from the F-15SA/QA?

F15-EX Overview, Specification, Performance

The USAF has given the go ahead to a new F15. The most advanced so far. This thread is dedicated to the new multi role bomb truck.

world-defense.com

 

[Lieutenant]

F15-EX Overview, Specification, Performance

The USAF has given the go ahead to a new F15. The most advanced so far. This thread is dedicated to the new multi role bomb truck.

world-defense.com

Alzheimer ?

 

[Khafee]

Here's The Only Thing That Would Kill Off The Boeing F-15X

• GILLIAN RICH
• 21 May 201

As lawmakers and Pentagon officials debate purchasing the Boeing (BA) F-15X and the Lockheed Martin (LMT) F-35, the Air Force said it would like the fourth-generation jets but wouldn't buy them at the expense of procuring newer jets.

Outgoing Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson told the Military Times Monday that the only factor that would stop the F-15X is a budget crunch.

Because in that situation, the Air Force would favor the F-35 stealth fighter over the non-stealth F-15X.

"If the budget gets crunched in the out years, you can't start trading off and saying we're going to keep open an F-15 line for single-digit numbers of airplanes," Wilson said.

She added later: "We're not going to trade off fifth-generation for fourth-generation."

But she warned that the "the F-15C is not going to make it" and that the service needs "to replace those F-15Cs with something."

https://www.investors.com/news/f35-vs-f15x-what-air-force-secretary-really-thinks/

 

[Khafee]

Exclusive look at Boeing's new fighter jet

 

[Khafee]

U.S. fighter jets could work together with high-performance unmanned combat aircraft dogfighting by 2020s
Unmanned combat aircraft by the next decade could join high-performance U.S. military fighter jets as trusted partners in dogfighting, Defense News says.

May 23rd, 2019

WASHINGTON – The F-35 and F-15EX fighter jets could get drone wingmen in the coming years, as Air Force leaders explore ways to team Lockheed Martin’s F-35 and Boeing’s new F-15EX with the XQ-58 Valkyrie drone or similar unmanned platforms in future dogfighting. Defense News reports.

The Valkyrie, which flew its first test flight at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona, on March 5, was designed to perform and maneuver like fighter jets. It can fly at high subsonic speeds, takeoff without a runway, and, according to Kratos, meet or exceed the Air Force’s requirement for a 1,500-nautical-mile range with a 500-pound payload.

The Air Force is also assessing whether other unmanned aerial systems would complement the Skyborg program. A March request for information describes “a modular, fighter-like aircraft” that is autonomous and attritable, with open systems that allow it to be updated with new AI software or new hardware. Desired characteristics include the ability to detect and avoid obstacles and bad weather, and to takeoff and land autonomously.

For the F-35, the pathway to incorporating Skyborg would involve writing software — similar to an iPhone application —that could be installed on the jet during its Block 4 modernization phase in the early 2020s.

U.S. fighter jets could work together with high-performance unmanned combat aircraft dogfighting by 2020s

Unmanned combat aircraft by the next decade could join high-performance U.S. military fighter jets as trusted partners in dogfighting, Defense News says.

www.militaryaerospace.com

 

[Khafee]

House lawmakers have a list of demands before funding the F-15EX
By: Valerie Insinna
06 June 2019
View attachment 7660
U.S. Air Force personnel use a KC-10 Extender to refuel an F-15C Eagle as part of exercise Northern Edge on May 14, 2019, at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. (Master Sgt. Nathan Lipscomb/U.S. Air Force)

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Air Force may be unable to buy the eight F-15EX planes it plans to purchase in fiscal 2020 unless it submits a series of program details to Congress, according to provisions in proposed legislation.

A draft version of the House Armed Services Committee’s defense authorization bill would permit the Air Force to procure two F-15EX prototypes in FY20. HASC staffers who spoke with reporters Monday would not confirm whether the committee had authorized the purchase of all eight fighter jets requested by the service.

However, the bill proposal states that the remaining FY20 funding for the program will only be obligated after the Air Force submits details such as:

• The program acquisition strategy.
• A cost and schedule baseline for the program.
• A test and evaluation master plan.
• A life cycle sustainment plan.
• A post-production fielding strategy.

HASC follows its Senate counterpart and the House Appropriations Committee in releasing its defense budget proposal, and its approach on the F-15EX differs from both committees, which recommended full funding to purchase eight jets made by Boeing.

However, the limitations on the F-15EX are not set in stone. The House and Senate still must pass their respective versions of the defense authorization bill, and once that happens, lawmakers from both chambers will have to compromise on a final version of the legislation — which may not include this language.

Even if kept in, HASC’s provisions indicate some support for buying new F-15EX planes, and thus do not pose an existential threat to the program.

Air Force leaders have made clear that buying more F-15s is a budget-conscious choice that allows the service to replace existing "C" and "D" models that are reaching the end of their service lives.

One of the benefits to this approach, said Air Combat Command chief Gen. Mike Holmes, is that Air National Guard squadrons that get the F-15EX won’t have to go through a lengthy retraining period for pilots and maintainers to learn a completely new airframe.

“There’s more to think about than just the acquisition cost. There’s the cost to operate the airplane over time. There’s the cost to transition at the installations where the airplanes are — does it require new military construction, does it require extensive retraining of the people, and then how long does it take?” Holmes said in February. “We’re pretty confident to say that we can go cheaper getting 72 airplanes with a mix of fifth- and fourth-[generation aircraft] than we did if we did all fifth gen.”

House lawmakers have a list of demands before funding the F-15EX

Unless it submits details about the F-15EX program to Congress, the U.S. Air Force may be unable to buy all eight jets it wants in 2020.

www.defensenews.com

 

[Khafee]

F15EX cockpit compared to legacy F15's

Top Left: F15C Cockpit
Top Center: F15E Cockpit
Top Right: F15EX Cockpit

Bottom Center: F15E Rear Cockpit
Bottom Right: F15EX Rear Cockpit

 

[Lieutenant]

 

[Khafee]

The closest birds to an F15EX. The F15SA, spotted at RAF Lakenheath yesterday en-route to Saudi Arabia.

On 29 July 2019, just before 19:00 hrs local time, six factory-fresh Boeing F-15SA Advanced Strike Eagles, destined for the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF), landed at RAF Lakenheath (UK).

 

[space cadet]

I think we are going to find out that the Air Force has been cooking the books on operating costs for the F35, and the bean counters found out what the real costs are. Your already hearing, to not be surprised if you hear about a sudden order of new F16s

 

[Mastankhan]

Hi,

I don't understand why nations are worried about the F35 and the F22;s---. Most nations still cannot handle the latest version of the F15---and they get worried about the F35 / 22

 

[Khafee]

The F-15X: The Plane the Air Force Needs to Buy (What About the F-35?)
October 20, 2019
Hype is growing around the F-15X.
by Sebastien Roblin

Key point: The Air Force must decide whether more cost-efficient, but less-survivable fighters are worth it.

The aviation world is abuzz with rumors that the U.S. Air Force is evaluating the purchase of a brand-new F-15X model of the legendary 45-year-old F-15 Eagle twin-engine fighter. Marcus Weisgerber first reported this possibility for Defense One, then expanded upon in an article by Tyler Rogoway at The Drive.

Were a contract to materialize, the F-15X could become the Air Force’s first new fighter that wasn’t a stealth jet since 2001—paralleling a recent decision by the U.S. Navy to procure Super Hornet jets to serve alongside its F-35C stealth fighters, rather than allowing the F-35 to replace them. But just how significant are the upgrades, and do they justify purchasing more of the Air Force’s oldest active fighter plane?

Replacing the F-15C/D:
The F-15X is specifically intended to replace a fleet of 235 F-15C and two-seat F-15D fighters deployed for air defense of the coastal United States, Japan and England. These air-superiority fighters are fast (Mach 2.5), maneuverable and boast long-range APG-63(V)3 radars. However, the F-15C/Ds date back to the mid-1980s and are quite likely to be retired early, as they would otherwise require expensive upgrades to remain airworthy.

Boeing proposes to manufacture new multi-role F-15Xs based on an advanced F-15QA Strike Eagle variant currently in production for Qatar. Because the factory line will remain open through 2022 and the technologies have all already been developed, Boeing could skip over the development phase and plans to offer the F-15X at a (presumably low) fixed cost—rare in an industry known for gigantic cost-overruns. The USAF, for its part, could inexpensively adopt a plane for which it already has existing infrastructure and familiarity.

Many F-15X improvements are sensible rather than slick, trading out the F-15C's 90s-era hybrid avionics for full fly-by-wire systems, modern digital displays and helmet-mounted sights. New strengthened wings and more fuel-efficient F110 turbofan engines would give the F-15X a remarkable 20,000-hour flight life, enough to last many decades of service. The new engines, which can be more cheaply maintained, also decrease the cost of operating an F-15X to $27,000 per flight hour from roughly $42,000. Rogoway claims this means replacing F-15C/Ds with Xs would pay for itself in ten years.

Several avionic upgrades would have tactical implications. A built-in Legion Pod carrying an IRST21 infrared-search and track system would outfit the F-15s with a high-resolution sensor with added utility against stealth aircraft. The Eagle’s dated TEWS defensive suite would be replaced with a digital Eagle Passive/Active Warning Surveillance System (EPAWSS). Recently cancelled for the likely-to-be-retired F-15Cs, EPAWSS would give Eagles a better chance to detect, jam and decoy new long-range anti-aircraft missiles.

F-15Xs would also be fully outfitted with new APG-82(V)1 Active Electronically Scanned Array radars. A variant of the powerful APG-63(V)3 radar outfitted on most F-15Cs, the APG-82 incorporates Radar Frequency Tunable Filters which allow the radar to simultaneously scan and jam at full efficiency and also features a digital maintenance capability that decreases upkeep requirements twenty-fold.

The most attention-grabbing upgrades on offer are quadruple-missile racks called Advanced Missile and Bomb Ejection Racks (AMBERs). The F-15C/D can only carry eight air-to-air missiles. With four AMBERS under each wing and another under its belly, an F-15X could potentially carry twenty long-range AIM-120D missiles plus two short-range AIM-9X missiles on wingtip rails.

The F-15X would also be capable of carrying air-to-surface munitions, and thus become a multi-role fighter capable of slinging up to twenty-eight GPS-guided Small Diameter Bombs plus air to air missiles, or a smaller number of larger munitions such as AGM-88 Anti-Radar missiles, JSOW standoff-range glide bombs and even Harpoon anti-ship missiles.

Is it worthwhile?:
While the F-15X concept has been warmly received in some quarters, fellow TNI writer David Majumdar offers a less flattering evaluation in this article by Zachary Keck: “It’s amazing this Boeing sales pitch is being swallowed hook, line and sinker by the trade press . . . The Air Force will never buy this jet. It is useless inside heavily defended airspace if we are dealing with any sort of real military force.”

Undeniably, there is a commercial logic at play: though Lockheed has secured its long-term prospects with the F-35 stealth jet, Boeing seeks to divert defense dollars towards its fourth-generation jets, a tactic which has already paid off with new orders for fourth-generation Navy Super Hornets. The F-15X rumor purveyors stress it is meant to replace F-15Cs not F-35s. However, funding would ultimately have to come from somewhere.

Though the F-35 program has suffered infamous cost overruns and delays, reports indicate unit costs are finally declining towards the target $85 million per plane, meaning the price differential compared to the F-35 could be modest, with an F-15X plausibly coming between $50 to $75 million). Still, the F-35 would remain considerably more expensive to operate with a current flight hour cost of $50,000 per hour.

Majumdar correctly points out that the F-35 is more survivable against a capable opponent. Radar-equipped adversaries will detect an F-15 conspicuous profile from well over a hundred miles away and have a chance to shoot at or evade it, while an F-35 would be able to creep much closer. So are their roles an F-15X could perform more efficiently than an F-35 to justify maintaining them?

The F-15C fleet currently operates in the air defense/superiority role. Interceptors traditionally require long range, high speeds, heavy payloads and farseeing sensors to patrol large swaths of airspace and swiftly detect, close with and destroy as many incoming attackers as possible. Though the F-22 air superiority stealth fighter excels at this job, the standing force of roughly 120 combat-coded Raptors is too small and valuable to rely upon to do all the grunt work. The F-35, or the older, shorter-range F-16, can perform this job but neither is optimized for it.

The F-15 is designed for this mission. Compared to the F-35, it has a 50% greater maximum speed (Mach 2.5 compared to 1.6), can fly 10,000 feet higher, has a larger combat radius (1,150 miles versus 870 miles), and could potentially carry more missiles (a stealth-mode F-35 is limited to six to eight weapons carried internally).

However, the Lightning does retain one killer advantage: adversaries likely won’t detect one coming until far too late. However, for peacetime or lower-intensity air defense purposes (think the conflict over Syria), a stealthy airframe might not always be desirable. For example, it might be preferable to chase off a bomber before it releases weapons than destroy one after it has launched its payload.

Furthermore, unlike the F-15C, the F-15X would also be a multi-role jet that could supplement the F-15E Strike Eagle fleet on surface-attack missions. However, Eagles would not be able to penetrate defended enemy airspace like the F-35 could—and both Russia and China have developed dense integrated air-defense networks to deny large swathes of airspace. In a high-intensity conflict, that would limit the Eagle to defensive roles and to nibbling at the edge of defended ’bubbles’ with stand-off weapons until air defenses are suppressed. In permissive environments where air defenses are minimal, however, the F-15X might be a more efficient strike platform than the F-35.

The F-15X’s greater payload could open interesting strategies when working together with F-35s and their networked sensors—an approach the Navy plans for its own mixed Carrier Air Wings of Super Hornets and F-35s. As noted earlier, the F-35 is limited to carrying just six to eight missiles when in stealth mode, which could leave it overwhelmed facing a numerically superior adversary. An F-35 could creep closer to scout out the positions of enemy air or surface forces with its sensors and relay the targeting data to F-15X ’missile trucks’ loaded down with long-range weapons flying a safer distance away from enemy forces. This strategy could also be inverted: an F-15X could use its powerful radar to vector F-35s running ‘silently’ with their active sensors off until they have stalked close enough to their prey to have a higher probability of a kill.

In general, a fast, long-range and heavy-lifting platform like the F-15 Eagle could be useful for deploying heavy payloads ranging from electronic warfare pods, anti-satellite or ballistic missiles systems, hypersonic missiles to drone swarms. However, the Air Force already intends to maintain over 200 F-15E Strike Eagles that could also perform these roles. Therefore, the real question is effectively whether to roughly double the number of multi-role Eagles in the Air Force inventory, or simply retire the air superiority types.

The worthwhileness of the F-15X concept comes down to whether you believe the Air Force should pay to maintain a lower-tier force of cost-efficient fighters to handle missions that don't require the F-35's special capabilities, namely air defense of coastlines, munition hauling, and ground support in semi-permissive environments. However, those more preoccupied with high-intensity conflict scenarios with China or Russia will likely feel more skeptical of diluting the F-35 force to purchase older, less survivable jets.

 

[space cadet]

Will Germany Choose America's F-15EX as Its New Fighter?

Or the F-35?

nationalinterest.org

 

[Khafee]

Will Germany Choose America's F-15EX as Its New Fighter? Or the F-35?
October 20, 2019
by David Axe

Key point: Berlin hasn't made up its mind what kind of new plane it needs.

The German air force will select a new fighter aircraft in early 2020, German minister of defense Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer announced in late September 2019.

The plane will replace the Luftwaffe’s fleet of 93 Panavia Tornado fighter-bombers and complement the service’s roughly 140 Eurofighter Typhoons. For the longer term, Germany is working with France to develop a next-generation warplane under the Future Combat Air System program.
It’s unclear how many new fighters Berlin wants and therefore exactly how much the purchase could cost. But the price is likely to be in the billions of dollars.

Officially, just two types are in the running for the German acquisition -- the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and the Typhoon. Berlin in early 2019 dropped the Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighter from the competition.

Defense News called the move “not altogether surprising.”

Berlin for some time has officially favored an upgraded version of the fourth-generation Eurofighter Typhoon — built by a consortium of Airbus, Leonardo and BAE Systems — as the Tornado replacement. The main argument is to keep European companies involved in building combat aircraft and, perhaps even more importantly, staying clear of disturbing Franco-German momentum in armaments cooperation.

But there’s a problem. The German air force as part of its commitment to NATO must contribute tactical fighters to the alliance’s plans for “tactical” nuclear warfare. Under the NATO scheme, fighters from across the alliance would drop American nuclear bombs.

The Tornado is compatible with nukes but neither the F/A-18E/F nor the Typhoon can carry atomic weapons. “Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer asked Washington to spell out what it will take to get those aircraft certified,” Scramble magazine reported. “This certification process will take years and creates a problem as the costs of maintaining the 93-strong fleet of beautiful Tornados is rapidly rising.”

The nuclear-compatibility problem could create an opening for the F-35, Scramble pointed out. “We wouldn't be surprised if eventually, a low number of F-35s for the Luftwaffe is becoming reality again. … A purchase of the F-35A helps in building up experience with fight-generation [stealth fighters] and it makes a more easy certification process (with the F-35) for the NATO obligations.”

If Germany does re-admit the F-35 to its fighter competition, it wouldn’t be the first time the American stealth jet was subject to back-and-forth politics.

In 2010, Canada's Conservative Party government announced plans to acquire 65 new F-35s by 2020. But the government never fairly compared the F-35 to rival fighter types such as the Typhoon, the Auditor General of Canada concluded in a 2018 report.
"National Defense did not manage the process to replace the CF-18 fleet with due diligence."

In 2015, Liberal Party candidate Justin Trudeau made the F-35 a major issue in his campaign for prime minister. Trudeau won. And in 2017, Ottawa backed off its proposal to purchase F-35s and, instead, launched the current competition to acquire 88 fighters.

But the F-35 is still a leading contender in the contest against the Saab Gripen, the Typhoon and the F/A-18E/F. Canada recently even tweaked the competition rules apparently to favor the F-35.

Leaving aside the possibility of a small acquisition of F-35s for the nuclear mission, the Typhoon is still the German air force’s preferred plane to replace the Tornado, Scramble reported.

There are benefits and detriments to a mixed buy, Defense News explained. “Ordering both the Typhoon and an American aircraft would make it easier to continue carrying out the NATO nuclear mission, while also lending support to the European industrial base. However, it could complicate logistics, adding more expense and forcing the German air force to maintain two supply chains.”

The editors at Scramble actually favor a type that’s no longer in the running. “In our eyes the F-15E would be a splendid choice for the aviation community.” The Boeing-made F-15 is compatible with nuclear weapons. The U.S. Air Force plans to begin buying a new and improved F-15E variant, the F-15EX, starting in 2020.

 

[aliraza]

japan is trying to get rid of its fleet of f15,s they have full production lines with f100 pw220 engine
i suggested paf look into that
get the whole lot put 72 in service rest keep for spares
upgrade the machines with ex kits
all that could be in less then 5billion and u r king of skies for foreseeable future