Posted on 12/22/2018 12:04:54 AM PST by sukhoi-30mki
Last July, I broke a story about the existence of Boeing's F-15X Advanced Eagle concept, one that the plane-maker had been in discussions with the USAF about for many months. That aircraft would be procured to replace America's existing F-15C/D aircraft, the vast majority of which are operated by the Air National Guard. Since my expose, the USAF has officially remained somewhat flippant about the F-15X and its talks with Boeing, which isn't surprising, but according to a Bloomberg report, that is about to change dramatically very soon.
The F-15X airframe would be single seat, but it would incorporate decades of innovations that are being applied currently in the latest F-15 Strike Eagle derivatives being purchased by Saudi Arabia (F-15SA) and Qatar (F-15QA). With an airframe life of a whopping 20,000 hours, and the latest sensors, flight control systems, and avionics, the F-15X would serve for many decades at an operating cost that Boeing claims will trounce that of the existing F-15C/D fleet—the youngest of which is now 32 years old—basically paying for the airframes with savings within about a decade.
Roxana Tiron of Bloomberg Government writes that the USAF will include "$1.2 billion for 12 Boeing F-15 X fighter aircraft" in its 2020 budget request that is due to be published in February. The story also notes that pressure to buy the F-15X is coming from the powers that be inside the Pentagon that are external to the USAF itself, which would explain the disconnect over potential procurement program with the service's top leadership:
"The decision to buy the newest kind of F-15 aircraft, so far only sold to U.S. allies, comes from the Pentagon’s top leadership, including with some prodding from Deputy Secretary of Defense Pat Shanahan, and not the Air Force, which would be flying the planes, the two people said. Shanahan, a former Boeing Co. executive, recused himself from any decisions related to Boeing when he was confirmed by the Senate."
Until the budget request is released, these things can always change. But this report would line up with what I have heard about the concept and how it has support from top officials at the Pentagon. We also don't know what the structure of the deal would look like, if it is just for a dozen F-15s or if it also includes additional items and services.
Our sources say that Boeing has been eager to package the F-15X with aggressive business terms in order to make the USAF an Eagle customer once again. This could include a low or even zero cost development of the new subtype, as well as guarantees on unit cost and even the price of elements of the aircraft's sustainment over time. Boeing has been ultra-aggressive with their aircraft bids as of late—a strategy that helped win them the UH-1 replacement tender, the Navy's MQ-25 Stingray tanker competition, and the prized T-X next generation Air Force jet trainer contract.
The idea behind the whole F-15X initiative is not to compete directly with the F-35, but to provide the USAF with a fiscally and operationally attractive "plug and play" option for replacing the rapidly aging F-15C/D fleet comprised of roughly 235 aircraft. These jets will need invasive and costly upgrades in the coming years in order to remain airworthy and relevant for front-line operations.
The USAF has been contemplating what to do with the F-15C/D fleet, which has received some major upgrades in recent years. Paying for major structural and technological upgrades has been looked at, but that would mean investing heavily in airframes that are already over three decades old. Retiring the force outright and possibly replacing them with F-16s upgraded with active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radars is another option, albeit a very controversial one. The F-15X would provide a third and highly attractive alternative, both on capability and fiscal grounds and due to the fact that it can plug directly into the USAF's existing Eagle infrastructure.
The reality is that for many tasks, including the homeland air sovereignty operations, the low-observable features of an F-35 are useless. There are many combat missions that actually benefit from a heavy fighter that can carry large stores over long ranges, as opposed to a stealth fighter with more limited payload and range capabilities. Israel seems to have come to this conclusion as well, incidentally. This is where the F-15X also comes into play for the USAF. Once again, read all about this aircraft and how it fits into the USAF's force structure in my past feature that unveiled it.
Above all else, this report underscores what I have been hearing, that the F-15X is not only still alive in Pentagon planning circles, but the need for it has only become more apparent. We'll have to wait for the final budget to be released to see the F-15X as an official procurement program for ourselves, but suffice it to say, the Eagle's chances of rolling off the production line in St. Louis and being flown directly to operational U.S. fighter squadrons once again is greater now than it has been in many, many years.
Boeing
Great news. This thing is still a world beating monster.
Japan will definitely be interested after they get their F-35s up to speed.
I still remember the fighter planes of old that always had a missile load of no less than 8. It was a sad fact that the F22 can only manage a 6+2 load. That pic of the F15 with 8 hanging under 1 wing for a total of 16, is what the modern concept of what a real fighter plane should be: a High Performance Missile Truck!
With the quantitative advantage China is likely to enjoy in any conflict it’s imperitive that a plug and play option the F15X represents be taken advantage of combined with the qualitative superior, multiple targeting capabilities of the F-35.
This version has two missiles underneath the engines, and two per outer wing pylon. The version in the article has four missiles under each engine and none on the outer wing pylons. Both have four missiles on the inner wing pylons.
So... sixteen missiles or twenty? Four under each engine and inner pylons, two on the outer pylons?
Chances this item will be in the next Pelosi defense bill?
I’d think given their hostility toward funding the military, the animosity toward DJT, and contempt for the people that not only will this item not be included. but many other items will be slashed - the services will be hard pressed to maintain what they have,
I know this will never happen, but in a perfect world it would have been great to have the Raptor production line retooled and restarted. Again, in a perfect world. As good as the Eagle is, it is no F-22.
Good news ... strategically better to have many medium-priced planes (F-15, A-10, etc) in the sky than a few bazillion dollar F-35s.
This is probably a good thing but I did notice the procurement of the F-15X is coming from the top brass at the pentagon and not the top brass in the Air Force. Some one told me after an officer makes it beyond a two star status they become nothing more then politician kissing the a#$%s of other politicians to keep jobs in certain States that certain Senators are from whether the specific branch of the military really wants what is being order. Nothing new for the military.
My second favorite bird after the spitfire. The f-15 is an amazing platform.
The problem is that every dollar is going into the f35 program. That is why the a10s warthogs are threatened. Well the f15x provides a powerful long range and fast missile truck. They are cheap and would be a force multiplier but they might upset the f35 money train. This is a case where the Pentagon has the big picture. Look to the Israelis and what they are doing.
Yes it is.
The F-15X configuration includes a flat-panel glass cockpit, JHMCS II helmet mounted display (HMD), revised internal wing structure, fly-by-wire controls, APG-82 AESA radar, activation of outer wing stations one and nine, advanced mission computer, low-profile heads-up display, updated radio and satellite communications, the highly advanced Eagle Passive Active Warning Survivability System (EPAWSS) electronic warfare and electronic surveillance suite, Legion Pod-mounted infrared search and track system(IRST).
With the help of the company’s new AMBER missile carrying racks, the F-15X will be able to carry a whopping 22 air-to-air missiles during a single sortie. Alternatively, it could fly with eight air-to-air missiles and 28 Small Diameter Bombs (SDBs), or up to seven 2,000lb bombs and eight air-to-air missiles. We are talking crazy weapons hauling capabilities here.
The whole impetus behind the F-15X program is the intention to replace the USAF’s entire F-15C/D fleet. It would have no impact on the existing F-15E Strike Eagle fleet or its planned upgrade pathway that is underway now. And the cost of the X series will be on a set contract and any cost overruns would be covered by Boeing. They are even willing to dedicate the St. Louis plant specifically for their construction. The F-15X is cheaper than an F-35 and ends up being closer in price to a late-block Super Hornet (around $65M). And the C/D fleet was in need of replacement after 35 plus years. And the estimated lifespan for the X is around 20k hours. That means they can safely expect the X to handle around 2500 average length sorties before frame breakdown needs a serious look. And that amount is easily long enough to do the work until something better is discovered.
rwood
How time flies. Its been almost 50 years since designers first started to draw the F-15, F-16, A-10.
This is a wise move. I would add another wing of F-15Es as well.
Good idea. Hard to believe it will happen. I spent 25 years in USAF fighters. The Brass only care about the newest toy. I think they’d rather go to war with 1 SUPERFIGHTER than 1,000 F-15s. BSOD - Bright, Shiny Object Disease. Generals are prone to it!
My lord! 14 AMRAAMs and two Sidewinders!
At least one bit of good news in an otherwise dreadful week.
Question is, will sanfrannan approve it? They don’t build many fighters in the bay area.
I saw what you did there :).
I guess we came to the same conclusion after we got our F-35s up and running, sort of running.
That’s an impressive missile load.
Does it have a gun?
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