The F-15EX is the latest evolution of the venerable Eagle that the U.S. Air Force rolled out in November 2023, promising to improve its ever-present prowess in air superiority and enhance its ground-striking operations.
In November 2023, the U.S. Air Force rolled out the latest evolution of the venerable F-15 Eagle: the F-15EX. This refreshed fourth-generation fighter is intended to build on a very long history of air superiority capabilities for the type while expanding its mission profile to include more robust air-to-ground strike operations.
The original F-15 Eagle was designed in the 1970s as a dedicated air superiority fighter, the apotheosis of Cold War-era indulgently expensive weapons systems serving single purposes. By the turn of the 21st century, America’s foreign policy mission had shifted from great power competition to regime change operations in the third world; air-to-ground requirements rose.
This resulted in the F-15E variant, developed in the 1980s, which gave a much bigger spectrum of mission profiles than just air superiority. Now, the latest variant of this most adaptable platform is the F-15EX. The Air Force has depended on the F-15 for a very long time.
“The data collected from the test could pave the way for a decision on full-rate production for the newest version of the Boeing-made fourth-generation fighter,” Defense News noted following a successful launch of a range of air-to-air and air-to-ground standoff munitions by the F-15EX during a key test and evaluation phase.
The road to production for the F-15EX has not been pain-free. Boeing, the manufacturer, concedes that it has “missed its mark” in terms of the delivery schedule because the Air Force has been open about its displeasure regarding the pace and production problems.
As Rob Novotny, Boeing director of F-15 business development, noted, “We missed our mark…the government knows when they thought they were going to get them and how hard we’re working to get it to them, and they know that we’ve been late. Those conversations are never fun.”
Manufacturing and supply chain issues have dogged Boeing’s production process, but the program is nonetheless proceeding as the fifth and sixth F-15EXs now begin final assembly.
The fact that the F-15 is going to remain in service well into the future, even as the Air Force looks toward the future with fifth-generation fighters like the F-22 and F-35, further underscores the versatility of the aircraft and the need for an able fourth-generation fighter to execute a variety of missions.