The eagle has a long and proud service
record, boasting an unprecedented
air-to-air combat record of 104
confirmed kills to zero. The u.s air force still operates a
number of F-15C D fighter aircraft, while
the F-15E strike eagle variant now
serves as the air force's primary
tactical fighter bomber aircraft.
The Mcdonnell douglas F-15E strike eagle
as a two-seat, dual-role, totally
integrated fighter for all weather, air-to-air and deep interdiction
missions. The rear cockpit is upgraded to include
four multi-purpose cathode ray tube
displays for aircraft systems and
weapons management. the F-15 is receiving upgrades that will
see it remain competitive in the air for
many years to come in the form of the F-15ex.
Foreign military sales have kept
boeing's F-15 production line running
over the years. Before the air force
signed off on a 1.1 billion dollars
purchase for eight new F-15s to replace
its Aging C D variants and the service
plans to purchase as many as 144 of the
new aircraft in total. The air force sees the F-15ex as a
cost-efficient means of both upgrading
older aircraft and of reaching the
service's fleet size goals.
Earlier this year the F-15ex
which has since been named the F-15
eagle 2 completed its first test flight
and the first two eagle 2 aircraft have
since been delivered to the air force at
eglin air force base in Florida, where
they will undergo further flight testing
before production on the new F-15s ramps
up. The air force is planning to have the
173rd fighter wing transition as the F-15ex formal training unit starting in
2024.
The F-15 eagle 2 incorporates a number
of upgrades over its predecessor models
and is based on boeing's most advanced F-15 models currently being produced for Qatar while also maintaining 70 parts
commonality with existing F-15s, upgrades over older F-15s found on the
new aircraft include an increased
payload capacity, fly-by-wire controls, a
digital cockpit and modernized sensors
radars and electronic warfare
capabilities.
The new eagles will also be capable of
processing significantly more data than
their predecessors while achieving
speeds as high as mach 2.5 and could
also mount hypersonic missile weaponry. Some have even called the new plane a
hypersonic missile truck. The service
lives of the new F-15s will see them
remain in the fleet for several decades
and could form a key component of the
fleet alongside of the F-35.
