Qatar F-15s - Boeing awarded $6.1B

[Khafee]

Boeing awarded $6.1B for F-15s for Qatar
The contract is for the procurement of 36 new F-15QAs for the Qatar Emiri Air Force.

By James LaPorta
Dec. 26, 2017

Khalid Mohammad Al Attiyah, Qatar's Minister of State for Defense Affairs, flew in the backseat of an F-15E Strike Eagle from the 334th Fighter Squadron in March during a visit to Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina learn about the aircraft’s capabilities. Photo by Airman 1st Class Kenneth Boyton/U.S. Air Force.

Dec. 26 (UPI) -- The Boeing Co. has been awarded a contract by the U.S. Air Force in support of Qatar's F-15 program.

The deal, announced Friday by the Department of Defense, is worth more than $6.173 billion under a undefinitized contract for the foreign military sales requirement to provide 36 new F-15QA aircraft for the Qatar Emiri Air Force.

The Boeing-made F-15 Strike Eagle is a twin-engine fighter designed for multi-role capabilities and first entered regular service in 1972.

Work on the contract will occur in St. Louis, Mo., and is expected to be completed by December 2022, the Pentagon said.

More than $3 billion has been obligated to Boeing from foreign military sale funds at the time the contract was awarded.

The U.S. State Department in November 2016 approved a $21.1 billion foreign military sale to the government of Qatar for 72 F-15QA aircraft, which at the time, was intended to "improve Qatar's ability to meet air-to-air and air-to-ground enemy threats and improve homeland defense capabilities."

https://www.upi.com/Defense-News/20...-61B-for-F-15s-for-Qatar/3951514296782/?nll=1

 

[Blacklight]

The most advanced version of the F-15 Eagle, the F-15QA, just made its first flight

Boeing announced that the F-15QA, the most advanced version of the F-15 Eagle, performed successfully its first flight from the company's plant at Lambert International Airport in St. Louis.
The flight, which lasted 90 minutes, was conducted by the Chief Test Pilot Matt Giese and implemented a precise mission checklist to test the multirole aircraft's capabilities and to check radar and avionics. According to the company the aircraft performed as planned.

—وزارة الدفاع - دولة قطر (@MOD_Qatar) April 14, 2020

In the press release, Boeing stated that the Eagle performed a Viking takeoff, the signature departure of F-15 flying from St. Louis (that, to be honest, has often been referred to as a "high performance takeoff" or "unrestricted climb after take off" etc).
The F-15 would start its takeoff run in full afterburner and, as soon as it reaches takeoff speed, pitch up its nose for a 70° to 90° climb to the upper flight levels before reaching the crossing runway, clearing this way the airspace for civilian aircraft departing or arriving on that mentioned runway.

—Boeing Defense (@BoeingDefense) April 14, 2020

"We are very proud of this accomplishment and looking forward with great excitement to the continued successes of this program. This successful first flight is an important milestone that brings our squadrons one step closer to flying this incredible aircraft over the skies of Qatar," said Col. Ahmed Al Mansoori, commander of the Qatar Emiri Air Force (QEAF) F-15 Wing.



The F-15QA features new outer wing hardpoints for increased payload, AN/APG-82(V)1 Advanced Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing Systems (JHMCS) for both the pilot and the Weapon Systems Officer (WSO), 10×19-in Large Area Displays (LADs) and low-profile Head-Up Display (HUD) in both cockpits, digital fly-by-wire and General Electric F110-GE-129 engines.
According to Prat Kumar, Boeing vice president and F-15 program manager, "the advanced F-15QA not only offers game changing capabilities but is also built using advanced manufacturing processes which make the jet more efficient to manufacture. In the field, the F-15 costs half the cost per flight hour of similar fighter aircraft and delivers far more payload at far greater ranges. That's success for the warfighter."
Boeing was awarded a $6.2 billion contract in 2017 to manufacture 36 F-15 fighter jets for the QEAF, the first of which will be delivered next year.

 

[Blacklight]

Qatar's F-15s Will Feature New 'Low Profile' Heads Up Display And New Cockpit
The Eagle is finally getting a big upgrade when it comes to aircrew interfaces, including a new HUD that is smaller, more reliable, and more adaptable.

audi Arabia may be briefly wearing the world's most advanced Eagle crown with their new F-15SAs, but Qatar will assume that honor when the first of its 36—or possibly 72 if they execute an option for more—F-15QAs are delivered in the next couple of years. Along with a totally remodeled cockpit featuring large panel touch screen displays, Qatar's F-15s will also do away with the Strike Eagle's iconic green-glowing, wide-angle heads up display (HUD), replacing it with an innovative new design from BAE Systems.

[VIDEO]: Qatar Emiri Air Force F-15QA will get large area display cockpit with touch screen made by Elbit Systems pic.twitter.com/6kUzF0VHby
— Abdulmoiz (@abdulmoiz1990) March 26, 2018​

Boeing’s advanced Eagle cockpit is very slick. The latest Strike Eagle derivative WSOs finally have a much needed big display for targeting. The F-15C/D Golden Eagle fleet needs this to make the most out of its upgraded capabilities if it is to soldier on for decades. pic.twitter.com/ZdrvaEnyHV
— Tyler Rogoway (@Aviation_Intel) January 5, 2018​

When the Strike Eagle arrived on the scene in the late 1980s, its massive HUD was a technological marvel. It covered a lot more visual real estate than the F-15A/B/C/D's unit, which itself was cutting-edge when it was integrated onto the jet in the early 1970s.

The F-15E's Kaiser IR-2394/A wide angle HUD was even more special because it could project the forward-looking infrared video from the Strike Eagle's LANTIRN navigation pod up in front of the pilot over a large area. This ability is referred to as 'raster' and the ability to project symbology being dubbed 'line.' The Strike Eagle's HUD could project complex line and raster imagery simultaneously.

The E model's setup also used a single combiner glass and had a relatively svelte frame, giving it an outwardly modern-looking appearance. The same setup was also used on Northrop's failed YF-23 Advanced Tactical Fighter demonstrator.

More detais in the link above