The Air Force is officially picking up its first new F-15 in nearly 20 years

[Yongpeng Sun-Tastaufen]

https://taskandpurpose.com/air-force-f-15ex-presoliciation-notices

It's been nearly 20 years since the most recent F-15 fighter jet rolled off an assembly line for the U.S. Air Force, and the service is officially looking to add a fresh variant of the aircraft to its inventory.

On Tuesday, a pair of twin pre-solicitation notices posted to the U.S. government's contract opportunities hub announced the Air Force's intent to procure both upgraded Boeing-made F-15EX fighters and fresh General Electric F110 jet engines associated with the new aircraft.

News of the solicitations was first reported by Aviation Week's Steve Trimble, who noted that the single-source notices mark "the first concrete steps to signing new orders and reviving U.S. F-15 procurement after a nearly 20-year hiatus."

The last year that Boeing produced an F-15 fighter for the Air Force was in 2004, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

The acquisition of the F-15EX is specifically intended as "a refresh to the F-15C/D fleet and [to] augment the F-15E fleet," according to one of the pre-solicitation notices. Here are some of the aircraft's technical details and intended capabilities, as first reported by The War Zone way back in July 2018:

The F-15X configuration is impressive as it includes a flat-panel glass cockpit, JHMCS II helmet mounted display (HMD), revised internal wing structure, fly-by-wire controls, APG-82 AESA radar, activation of outer wing stations one and nine, advanced mission computer, low-profile heads-up display, updated radio and satellite communications, the highly advanced Eagle Passive Active Warning Survivability System (EPAWSS) electronic warfare and electronic surveillance suite, Legion Pod-mounted infrared search and track system (IRST) and the list goes on.

With the help of the company's new AMBER missile carrying racks, the F-15X will be able to carry a whopping 22 air-to-air missiles during a single sortie. Alternatively, it could fly with eight air-to-air missiles and 28 Small Diameter Bombs (SDBs), or up to seven 2,000 lb bombs and eight air-to-air missiles. We are talking crazy weapons hauling capabilities here. Keep in mind that the F-15C/D Eagle can carry eight air-to-air missiles currently, and the penultimate Eagle variant that is currently being built, the F-15SA, can carry a dozen.

The fiscal year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act that President Donald Trump signed into law in December provided the Air Force with $1.1 billion to procure up to eight F-15EX aircraft, including two prototypes, ahead of testing by the service.

The aircraft's inclusion in the fiscal year 2020 defense budget wasn't easy: In September 2018, then-Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson in September stated that the Air Force had no interest in picking up the fourth-generation F-15EX over additional fifth-generation F-35 Joint Strike Fighters.

"We are currently 80 percent fourth-gen aircraft and 20 percent fifth-generation aircraft," Wilson told Defense News at the time. "In any of the fights that we have been asked to plan for, more fifth gen aircraft make a huge difference, and we think that getting to 50-50 means not buying new fourth-gen aircraft, it means continuing to increase the fifth generation."

After Wilson resigned in March 2019, the Air Force reversed course, proposing a buy of eight F-15EX aircraft rather than the Pentagon's original proposal of a dozen as a "short-term patch" to replace the service's aging fourth-generation F-15C fleet without cannibalizing spending for the F-35.

"We absolutely [are] adamant that the F-35 program, the program of record, absolutely stays on track and we don't take a dime out of the F-35," as Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein told the Senate Armed Services Committee the following April.

 

[Avicenna]

https://taskandpurpose.com/air-force-f-15ex-presoliciation-notices

It's been nearly 20 years since the most recent F-15 fighter jet rolled off an assembly line for the U.S. Air Force, and the service is officially looking to add a fresh variant of the aircraft to its inventory.

On Tuesday, a pair of twin pre-solicitation notices posted to the U.S. government's contract opportunities hub announced the Air Force's intent to procure both upgraded Boeing-made F-15EX fighters and fresh General Electric F110 jet engines associated with the new aircraft.

News of the solicitations was first reported by Aviation Week's Steve Trimble, who noted that the single-source notices mark "the first concrete steps to signing new orders and reviving U.S. F-15 procurement after a nearly 20-year hiatus."

The last year that Boeing produced an F-15 fighter for the Air Force was in 2004, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

The acquisition of the F-15EX is specifically intended as "a refresh to the F-15C/D fleet and [to] augment the F-15E fleet," according to one of the pre-solicitation notices. Here are some of the aircraft's technical details and intended capabilities, as first reported by The War Zone way back in July 2018:

The F-15X configuration is impressive as it includes a flat-panel glass cockpit, JHMCS II helmet mounted display (HMD), revised internal wing structure, fly-by-wire controls, APG-82 AESA radar, activation of outer wing stations one and nine, advanced mission computer, low-profile heads-up display, updated radio and satellite communications, the highly advanced Eagle Passive Active Warning Survivability System (EPAWSS) electronic warfare and electronic surveillance suite, Legion Pod-mounted infrared search and track system (IRST) and the list goes on.

With the help of the company's new AMBER missile carrying racks, the F-15X will be able to carry a whopping 22 air-to-air missiles during a single sortie. Alternatively, it could fly with eight air-to-air missiles and 28 Small Diameter Bombs (SDBs), or up to seven 2,000 lb bombs and eight air-to-air missiles. We are talking crazy weapons hauling capabilities here. Keep in mind that the F-15C/D Eagle can carry eight air-to-air missiles currently, and the penultimate Eagle variant that is currently being built, the F-15SA, can carry a dozen.

The fiscal year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act that President Donald Trump signed into law in December provided the Air Force with $1.1 billion to procure up to eight F-15EX aircraft, including two prototypes, ahead of testing by the service.

The aircraft's inclusion in the fiscal year 2020 defense budget wasn't easy: In September 2018, then-Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson in September stated that the Air Force had no interest in picking up the fourth-generation F-15EX over additional fifth-generation F-35 Joint Strike Fighters.

"We are currently 80 percent fourth-gen aircraft and 20 percent fifth-generation aircraft," Wilson told Defense News at the time. "In any of the fights that we have been asked to plan for, more fifth gen aircraft make a huge difference, and we think that getting to 50-50 means not buying new fourth-gen aircraft, it means continuing to increase the fifth generation."

After Wilson resigned in March 2019, the Air Force reversed course, proposing a buy of eight F-15EX aircraft rather than the Pentagon's original proposal of a dozen as a "short-term patch" to replace the service's aging fourth-generation F-15C fleet without cannibalizing spending for the F-35.

"We absolutely [are] adamant that the F-35 program, the program of record, absolutely stays on track and we don't take a dime out of the F-35," as Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein told the Senate Armed Services Committee the following April.

Interesting right?

@Cookie Monster

Especially in light of this.....https://www.airforcemag.com/article/mosaic-warfare/

Like I said before, it would be wise to keep an eye on how the US utilizes 5th gen types.

 

[Foxtrot Delta]

F-15EX boy o boy huge payloads.

 

[gangsta_rap]

Very interesting..It's probable that these aircraft will serve for a 100 years then (USAF or otherwise)

 

[Yongpeng Sun-Tastaufen]

Very interesting..It's probable that these aircraft will serve for a 100 years then (USAF or otherwise)

Like B-52.

 

[FuturePAF]

Boeing rescue/bailout plan. The 737-Max debacle is estimated to cost Boeing approximately $25 billion. That could mean 200-300 F-15s worth, or if you factor in the needed profit; it could mean 500 F-15s when all is said and done. I also expect to see more F-18 E/F for the Navy. The effect will be a larger military, requiring a larger budget to sustain the increased number of aircraft, and an overall ratio of more 4th generation aircraft in the fighter force, then the military was expecting.

 

[khansaheeb]

Boeing rescue/bailout plan. The 737-Max debacle is estimated to cost Boeing approximately $25 billion. That could mean 200-300 F-15s worth, or if you factor in the needed profit; it could mean 500 F-15s when all is said and done. I also expect to see more F-18 E/F for the Navy. The effect will be a larger military, requiring a larger budget to sustain the increased number of aircraft, and an overall ratio of more 4th generation aircraft in the fighter force, then the military was expecting.

Should be sufficient to fight a multi-front war with Iran and co.

 

[FuturePAF]

Should be sufficient to fight a multi-front war with Iran and co.

Enough to cover the attrition for a 10 or 20 year war. China gets stronger and us taxpayers get the bill for another trillion dollar folly.

 

[untitled]

As for how many jets would be procured under an F-15X initiative, our sources close to the discussions say between 150 to 250 aircraft depending on what the USAF wants to do with its overall force structure. The most likely number is roughly 230 airframes to replace the F-15C/D force one a one-for-one basis. Procurement would likely start with eight aircraft, which could be delivered very soon, with roughly 18 to 24 procured each year after that. Oh, and there are two variants of the F-15X that are being offered by Boeing and will likely be procured. One is dubbed the F-15CX and the other is known as the F-15EX.

The F-15CX will be a single-seat configuration, while the F-15EX will be a two-seater with a fully missionized rear cockpit complete with a wide-area flat panel display, helmet-mounted display, and full flight controls. The F-15EX will cost a couple million dollars more than its single seat stablemate, but they will roll of the St. Louis production line right alongside one another.

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zo...wo-variants-and-no-it-wont-cost-100m-per-copy

 

[TNT]

Can anyone elaborate the difference between F15s and F18s, they both have similar capabilities. Whats the difference between their roles?

 

[untitled]

Can anyone elaborate the difference between F15s and F18s, they both have similar capabilities. Whats the difference between their roles?

F15 was designed as a long range heavy air superiority fighter for the American Air Force with no air to ground role in the beginning. Even today the C/D variants in USAF are used in air to air role only. The F15 was considered too expensive for even the USAF to purchase in large numbers therefore a light weight fighters like the YF16 and YF17 were proposed to the USAF. The USAF selected the YF16 which became the F16. US government also wanted a fighter it could export to close allies but not every country had the need or could afford the F15. That's where the F16 came into the equation (and also later the F18).

The American Navy got interested in the YF17 and developed it into the F/A-18 Hornet to complement their own (at that time) fighter-only F14. The modern Super Hornet has evolved from light fighter-bomber to a heavy multirole aircraft that has replaced several types including the F14, EA6 and A6 in the US Navy

 

[Fawadqasim1]

Boeing rescue/bailout plan. The 737-Max debacle is estimated to cost Boeing approximately $25 billion. That could mean 200-300 F-15s worth, or if you factor in the needed profit; it could mean 500 F-15s when all is said and done. I also expect to see more F-18 E/F for the Navy. The effect will be a larger military, requiring a larger budget to sustain the increased number of aircraft, and an overall ratio of more 4th generation aircraft in the fighter force, then the military was expecting.

Absolutely

 

[LeGenD]

That is one beastly jet.

Boeing rescue/bailout plan. The 737-Max debacle is estimated to cost Boeing approximately $25 billion. That could mean 200-300 F-15s worth, or if you factor in the needed profit; it could mean 500 F-15s when all is said and done. I also expect to see more F-18 E/F for the Navy. The effect will be a larger military, requiring a larger budget to sustain the increased number of aircraft, and an overall ratio of more 4th generation aircraft in the fighter force, then the military was expecting.

Boeing does not need to be rescued, it remains strong financially. It can/will endure '737 MAX' debacle.

Latest F-15 variant is in line with the American MOSIAC warfare strategy.

VLO class combat aircraft such as F-22A Raptor and F-35 variants will carry the responsibility to establish 'air dominance' over a hostile environment (country) whereas F-15EX will be utilized to bombard enemy positions and assets with impunity throughout the course of war.

 

[Zarvan]

Illustration courtesy of Boeing


Share on FacebookShare on Twitter


The U.S. Air Force has taken another important step towards the purchase of a new build F-15EX fighter aircraft.

Task & Purpose reported on Tuesday, cited post of Steve Trimble, that a pair of twin pre-solicitation notices posted to the U.S. government’s contract opportunities hub announced the Air Force’s intent to procure both upgraded Boeing-made F-15EX fighters and fresh General Electric F110 jet engines associated with the new aircraft.

“The United States Air Force Life Cycle Management Center intends to award a sole source indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (ID/IQ) contract to The Boeing Company for a refresh to the F-15C/D fleet and augment the F-15E fleet,” according to a Federal Business Opportunities notice published last week.

The F-15EX, commonly known as Strike Eagle on Steroids, is the latest version of the world famous F-15 Eagle fighter jet. The new fighter would be equipped with better avionics and radars and would carry more than two dozen air-to-air missiles.

The improved version of F-15 will can carry the full array of air-to-air, air-to-ground and maritime strike weapons. The aircraft can engage a multitude of targets on any given mission.

Reuters previously reported that the FY2020 Department of Defense funding bill includes $694.9 billion, an increase of $20.5 billion above the FY2019 enacted level. The recommendation also includes the endorsement of the Air Force’s plan to buy the new F-15EX Advanced Eagle fighter jets from U.S. aerospace giant Boeing.

Members of the Senate’s defense appropriations subcommittee recommended $992.4 million for 8 F-15EX aircraft, of which 2 test aircraft are funded in research, development, testing and evaluation (RDT&E), Air Force.

* If you wish to report grammatical or factual errors within our news articles, you can let us know by using the online feedback form.

https://defence-blog.com/news/u-s-air-force-takes-next-step-toward-newest-f-15ex-fighter-jet.html

 

[FuturePAF]

That is one beastly jet.


Boeing does not need to be rescued, it remains strong financially. It can/will endure '737 MAX' debacle.

Latest F-15 variant is in line with the American MOSIAC warfare strategy.

VLO class combat aircraft such as F-22A Raptor and F-35 variants will carry the responsibility to establish 'air dominance' over a hostile environment (country) whereas F-15EX will be utilized to bombard enemy positions and assets with impunity throughout the course of war.

The USAF hopes to gain air superiority so that aircraft like the F-15 can operate in enemy airspace. Perhaps the F-15s are for the states that are not peer competitors, because other than China and Russia, the F-15 is still capable against most of the rest of the world.