The U.S. Air Force is currently standing at a crossroads, torn between the desire for advanced fifth-generation fighters and the pragmatism that goes into fielding a large and capable fleet. Now, the F-35 Lightning II, the Air Force’s only new fighter program since 2009, is getting a serious challenge from an upgraded variant of the venerable F-15 Strike Eagle: the F-15EX.
With its major concentration on modernization efforts focused on the stealthy F-35A, advanced in sensor fusion, the F-15EX is a modernized variant of the fourth-generation F-15 being fielded to meet near-term capacity requirements. The Air Force’s fiscal 2020 budget request included $1.1 billion for the first eight F-15EX aircraft as part of a plan to acquire a total of 144. Supported by former Defense Secretary James Mattis and impelled by the Pentagon’s Cost and Program Evaluation office, this move seeks to replace the aging F-15C/D fleet.
There are some distinct advantages with the F-15EX; it is also more than 70 percent common with existing F-15 models, which makes its transition quite seamless in terms of ground equipment, hangars, and support gear. What’s more, the F-15EX makes the type fully interchangeable: F-15 squadrons could fly the EX in weeks, not months, as with the F-35. Besides, it provides advanced avionics, a much higher payload, including hypersonic weapons up to 22 feet in length, and a digital backbone or open architecture that will allow for future upgrades.
While all this sounds like a good investment, the F-15EX will still lack the low-observable survivability of the F-35 and F-22. The survivability of the F-15EX against modern air defenses cannot be assured, and in fact, the Air Force acknowledged that it would be useful only until around 2028 in operations adjacent to contested air space. However, it still retains great value for homeland and airbase defense, no-fly zone enforcement, and standoff munitions delivery.
While behind schedule, the F-35 program retains top priority for the Air Force. The service plans to build 1,763 F-35s, though budget pressures have forced it to trim down the number of F-35s purchased over the next five years. The advanced capabilities of the F-35 make it an indispensable plane for future conflicts, everything from acting as a battlefield “quarterback” to flying stealthy missions.
Under the National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal year 2020, the F-15EX program began when Boeing won a $1.2 billion contract to build the first eight aircraft of this batch. On the F-15EX are furnished key electronic warfare capabilities: Eagle Passive Active Warning Survivability System, or EPAWSS. Other features of the aircraft include fly-by-wire flight controls, APG-82(V)1 AESA radar, and advanced cockpit systems, among others.
The Boeing F-15EX is proving its salt by passing successful tests that demonstrate expanded missile carriage capacity and the launching of hypersonic weapons. It will turn out to be an important asset in a near-peer conflict, allowing air power a robust, flexible platform.
The F-15EX and F-35A represent two divergent ways ahead for air superiority as the Air Force works through its future fighter fleet composition. State-of-the-art technology and the stealth of the F-35 are requisite for future conflicts, while the F-15EX offers an affordable way to help satisfy near-term capacity requirements, extending the life of the fighter fleet. The debate and budgetary decisions being made will set the course of the Air Force for years to come.