Slater Posted February 3, 2021 Share Posted February 3, 2021 (edited) When I first heard of this particular aircraft I was skeptical that it would make it past Congress and the budget process. Looks like it's on the way, though. Should be a useful bomb and missile truck for the USAF, even though it's slated to replace the elderly "C" models.. Wonder if "F-15EX" will be it's official designation? https://www.defensenews.com/air/2021/02/02/the-f-15ex-just-made-its-first-flight/ Edited February 3, 2021 by Slater 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upnorth Posted February 3, 2021 Share Posted February 3, 2021 3 hours ago, Slater said: Wonder if "F-15EX" will be it's official designation? I imagine if it gets approved for production and goes into service, it will be given the "F" or "G" suffix for US service models. If exports are good, we'll see it spawn a bunch of new F-15 sub-variants with their own specific suffixes as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan P Posted February 3, 2021 Share Posted February 3, 2021 This seems like window dressing for a contractor balancing act. Boeing Defense must be REALLY desperate for that taxpayer dollar. I can't imagine how much 'work' was going on behind the scenes in Washington for this to pass. Oh wait... https://www.defensenews.com/air/2019/03/22/industrial-base-considerations-played-role-in-f-15x-decision/ "Don't worry, Saudi Arabia and Qatar will pay for it" reminds me of a certain wall project, but the fact Boeing have to keep beating that particular drum so hard with the EX means they're probably worried about the new Congress and administration, especially with changes to the oversight committees. This may end up a very short term program. If the AF has ordered 200 of these by FY25, Boeing should get a medal for extraordinary lobbying skills. They'd deserve it. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giorgio N Posted February 3, 2021 Share Posted February 3, 2021 My understanding was that the USAF had been kind of forced to accept this aircraft, and every time I read anything from them it sounds like "yeah, we're happy to get new aircraft, of course they can't really do this or that...." I can see how adding new F-15s in the fleet can be a good thing since some of the old ones are really getting too old and the Eagle is still a fine combat aircraft but clearly the feeling is that this is a decision based more on economic and political factors rather than technical ones 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truro Model Builder Posted February 3, 2021 Share Posted February 3, 2021 And the US government screams blue murder over EU subsidies to Airbus... 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slater Posted February 3, 2021 Author Share Posted February 3, 2021 The F-15E fleet is getting long in the tooth and the F-15C's are even older. If nothing else, this refreshes the force with a new, more capable aircraft. In a conflict such as Syria or Iraq where stealth is less important than hauling a lot of bombs or standoff weapons, this aircraft would seem to fit the bill. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slater Posted February 3, 2021 Author Share Posted February 3, 2021 In the "everything old is new again" department, the USAF is even tossing around the idea of ordering new F-16's: https://aviationweek.com/defense-space/aircraft-propulsion/us-air-force-talks-new-f-16-orders-latest-acquisition-shake Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junglierating Posted February 3, 2021 Share Posted February 3, 2021 Cool colour (color) scheme 😀 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitewolf Posted February 3, 2021 Share Posted February 3, 2021 5 hours ago, Slater said: The F-15E fleet is getting long in the tooth and the F-15C's are even older. If nothing else, this refreshes the force with a new, more capable aircraft. In a conflict such as Syria or Iraq where stealth is less important than hauling a lot of bombs or standoff weapons, this aircraft would seem to fit the bill. It would indeed, and its,worth remembering the considerable enhancements which make this aircraft far more capable than any previous version! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoSG0 Posted February 3, 2021 Share Posted February 3, 2021 5 hours ago, junglierating said: Cool colour (color) scheme 😀 F-15 in Viggen splinter camo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wellsprop Posted February 3, 2021 Share Posted February 3, 2021 6 hours ago, junglierating said: Cool colour (color) scheme 😀 I'm a sucker for any aircraft with a bit of primer! 1 hour ago, Whitewolf said: It would indeed, and its,worth remembering the considerable enhancements which make this aircraft far more capable than any previous version! Definitely, I'm sure the US has a requirement for a 4.5th gen fighter to do it's "normal" work. I'm trying to avoid the "P" word - unfortunately modern fighter programmes and the "P" word go hand in hand. This does, however, seem like a sensible decision. It will allow the F-35 to be used at the very sharp end of any conflict, whilst the F-15 can be used in less threatening environments. In addition, it makes perfect sense to give Boeing some work to keep them going (even if the work itself isn't of such importance). The reason for this is, if companies don't keep the production lines open, they lose the ability to continue aircraft manufacture. The reason this is important is it allows the US to have competition between a few companies when developing a new fighter - this way you can chose the best of all the designs. There is a reason the US has worlds leading aerospace industry (particularly defence)! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
junglierating Posted February 3, 2021 Share Posted February 3, 2021 Im beingva bit ffick ....the P word ? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XV107 Posted February 4, 2021 Share Posted February 4, 2021 42 minutes ago, junglierating said: Im beingva bit ffick ....the P word ? I'm guessing the 'p-word' is associated with pigs and barrels, plus the penchant for the USAF/USN/USMC/Army Avn to get more airframes, etc, than expected because a Congressional delegation has decided that the service(s) requirement for the aeroplane/kit built - purely coincidentally - in their state can safely be increased by a few hundred million $.... More generally, there's a fair amount of real-world evidence (and the RAF have been good at this) that pairing 4.5 Gen and 5th Gen aircraft is a very effective (and less costly) means of doing things than investing in an all-5th Gen force. In time, of course, this will stop being a sensible means of doing it, but when you throw in things like 'loyal wingman', etc, etc, then the combination makes sense for the foreseeable future. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wellsprop Posted February 4, 2021 Share Posted February 4, 2021 14 hours ago, junglierating said: Im beingva bit ffick ....the P word ? I can't quite remember the quote, but it's something along the lines of "modern fighter aircraft have 4 dimensions; length, wingspan, speed and politics". It's rather hard to talk about military aircraft programmes without it. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Wilson Posted February 4, 2021 Share Posted February 4, 2021 I assume the reason for the F-15EX programme is really to ensure that Lockheed don't have a monopoly on USAF fighter acquisition for the foreseeable future. If the F-35 is the only game in town then Lockheed have the USAF over a barrel. Now they can order more F-15s if Lockheed aren't keeping their prices competitive, or are taking too long to introduce improvements. upgrades etc. Conversely Boeing will also have to keep the F-15 competitive. It's like in the 80s when Pratt and Whitney made engines for the F-15 and F-16 and were dragging their heels over improvements. The USAF asked GE to develop an engine to fit both aircraft and the resulting GE 110 meant P&W had to up their game in a hurry. Stuart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exdraken Posted February 4, 2021 Share Posted February 4, 2021 There was also talk of USAF Super Hornets some time ago.... Same Boeing, different plant.. the F-15 at least provides some synergies with the current fleet. And it has capabilities neither the F-22 nor the F-35 have! So not all bad! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slater Posted February 4, 2021 Author Share Posted February 4, 2021 Boeing bills the F-15EX (and previous variants being backfitted) as having the world's fastest mission computer: "The Advanced Display Core Processor (ADCP) II mission computer processes 87 billion instructions per second to provide real-time access to battlefield information and increase the pilot's combat effectiveness." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exdraken Posted February 5, 2021 Share Posted February 5, 2021 7 hours ago, Slater said: Boeing bills the F-15EX (and previous variants being backfitted) as having the world's fastest mission computer: ." Love the marketing and then they run Windows 10 and office 365 on it?! sorry.... a fast processor is definitely good, but if it's the fastest or not does not seem important.... usually its about efficient software and its integration.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Wilson Posted February 5, 2021 Share Posted February 5, 2021 I remember as a kid going to the shops to buy a Revell kit of the F-15 when it was just entering service. It came with loads of bombs like you never ever saw on an F-15A. I remember being excited about this new fighter. A quick trip to Scalemates suggests it was the 1975 release. If you'd told me then aged 8 or 9 that the USAF would be buying the same aircraft in 2021 (and possibly into the 2030s) . I'm not sure I would have believed you. Now, what's the odds on it eventually replacing the money pit that is the F-22 one day?🙂 Stuart 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truro Model Builder Posted February 5, 2021 Share Posted February 5, 2021 31 minutes ago, Stuart Wilson said: Now, what's the odds on it eventually replacing the money pit that is the F-22 one day?🙂 Well, I don't know about that, but it is practically a dead cert that when they deliver the last B-21 bomber to Davis-Monthan the crew will fly home in a B-52. 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Posted February 5, 2021 Share Posted February 5, 2021 On 2/3/2021 at 9:55 AM, Alan P said: This seems like window dressing for a contractor balancing act. Boeing Defense must be REALLY desperate for that taxpayer dollar. I can't imagine how much 'work' was going on behind the scenes in Washington for this to pass. Oh wait... https://www.defensenews.com/air/2019/03/22/industrial-base-considerations-played-role-in-f-15x-decision/ "Don't worry, Saudi Arabia and Qatar will pay for it" reminds me of a certain wall project, but the fact Boeing have to keep beating that particular drum so hard with the EX means they're probably worried about the new Congress and administration, especially with changes to the oversight committees. This may end up a very short term program. If the AF has ordered 200 of these by FY25, Boeing should get a medal for extraordinary lobbying skills. They'd deserve it. I thought Saudi Arabia and Qatar had paid for it given that the EX is effectively the US version of the SA/QA. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slater Posted February 5, 2021 Author Share Posted February 5, 2021 8 hours ago, exdraken said: Love the marketing and then they run Windows 10 and office 365 on it?! sorry.... a fast processor is definitely good, but if it's the fastest or not does not seem important.... usually its about efficient software and its integration.... No idea about the technical details, but it's function is given as : The computer provides mission processing for new advanced capabilities such as Eagle Passive/Active Warning Survivability System (EPAWSS), long-range infrared search and track capability (IRST), high-speed radar communications, and future software suite upgrades. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wellsprop Posted February 5, 2021 Share Posted February 5, 2021 I can quite imagine that the F-15EX is, in fact, an incredibly different aircraft to the preceding F-15 variants. The physical airframe itself and the aircrafts performance/handling may be largely unchanged - but that's mostly irrelevant in modern military aircraft. The systems and sensors are far, far, far more important. Similar to the difference between the Westland Lynx and the 159/Wildcat - whilst the airframes are substantially different, the performance is very similar (in fact, the 159 has some limitations the Lynx doesn't have) however, the sensors and systems allow the Wildcat to be a vastly better aircraft. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slater Posted February 5, 2021 Author Share Posted February 5, 2021 (edited) The newer F-15 variants do have a stronger airframe, although I'm not sure how much stronger. By way of comparison, the F-16V Block 70/72 has an airframe 50% stronger than previous variants. Manufacturing techniques and materials have come a long way since the F-16A. Edited February 5, 2021 by Slater 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuart Wilson Posted February 6, 2021 Share Posted February 6, 2021 IIRC the F-15EX is rated for 20,000 flying hours vis 16,000 for the E model and 8,000 for the A,B,C and D models. At 300 hrs per airframe per year that equates to a service life of 66 years per aircraft without a subsequent life extension. It's just possible the F-15 might see out the Century! Stuart Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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