The US Air Force’s decision to cut its fleet of F-15EX Eagle II fighters to 98 in the latest budget has reopened questions over the aircraft’s purpose and long-term viability. Devised initially as a niche capability, the F-15EX had been driven by two pressing needs: replacing the venerable F-15C/D variants and ensuring a competitive industrial base with the prevention of a Lockheed Martin monopoly. The F-15EX was pitched as a rapid modification of the F-15QA, which would keep another line rolling.
Air superiority and strike against peer threats remain the main focus of the Air Force, which it prioritizes in programs such as the Next Generation Air Dominance, Collaborative Combat Aircraft, modernization of the F-22, and F-35 Block 4. In that respect, while of value, the F-15EX is judged to be a “nice to have” rather than a “need to have.”.
The conversion of the bases to hosting F-35 squadrons has been slower than anticipated. Infrastructure upgrades for F-35 wings have failed to speed up operations, and approximately 70 F-35s are queued behind TR-3, which contains a huge backlog that will take a lot of time to work through. The F-15EX provides a faster solution by being able to convert present F-15 squadrons and pilots to the EX using current infrastructure.
Assuming Boeing can execute its delivery plans, the F-15EX will address a potential force-structure gap through the early 2030s. Its six-minute scramble time makes it a strategic choice for locations such as Kadena—under the threat of Chinese missiles—and for homeland defense. The F-15EX is at least a preferable solution to having no replacement at all, given both the retirement of the F-15C and the Air Force’s evident reluctance to order F-35As in required numbers before Block 4 is mature.
The first two operational F-15EX Eagle IIs were delivered to the 142nd Wing of the Oregon Air National Guard, a large step in their process of fleet modernization. This new-generation, multirole fighter will upgrade the capability of the aging F-15C Eagle in air-to-air and strike with enhanced sensors and electronic warfare suites, as well as the ability to carry a multitude of advanced ordnance. The 142nd Wing is scheduled to receive a total of 18 F-15EXs that will provide for the continuous delivery of aerospace superiority from Canada to California.
Operational readiness requires the F-15EX, said Brig. Gen. Alan Gronewold, 142nd Wing commander. “Operational effectiveness for the 142nd Wing, not to mention the entire United States Air Force, is ensured in part through the capabilities and radiated power of the Eagle Passive Warning Survivability System, which is integrated as part of the F-15EX’s advanced electronic warfare technology.”.
Boeing was quick to point out the numerous capabilities of the F-15EX, including advanced radar and an electronic warfare suite, which might offset the lack of stealth. The F-15EX can carry many types of advanced ordnance, with the new RIM-174 Standard Extended Range Active Missile (ERAM), and turn the jet into something quite formidable in an Air Force arsenal.
The F-15EX Eagle II is a massive enabler of modernization in the capabilities of the Air Force, ensuring easy integration into active duty units and burgeoning interoperability for the United States Air Force. Given the modernization of threats, the F-15EX becomes a significant bridge to future air dominance platforms—the F-35 Block 4 and NGAD.