PAUL LEWIS / WASHINGTON DC
Planned offering is further development of fighter ordered by South Korea and includes active array radar
The F-15T Eagle that Boeing plans to offer Singapore to meet its new fighter requirement is a further development of the F-15K ordered by South Korea. It also includes a proposed multimode version of the Raytheon APG-63(V)3 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar now in the early stages of development for the US Air Force.
Singapore plans to kick-start its fighter competition in May with the release of a request for proposals to two or three pre-qualified contenders. The F-15 faces the same challenges in Singapore as it did in South Korea, with competition from newer designs such as the Dassault Rafale and Eurofighter Typhoon. Boeing plans to offer a more modern radar sensor and countermeasures suite.
The proposed F-15T's main addition will be the APG-63(V)3 radar, which unlike the (V)1 being retrofitted to the USAF's F-15C fleet and planned for the F-15K, will feature an active array antenna with tile transmit/receive modules. The 0.9m (3ft)-diameter array is a development of the APG-79 AESA antenna being developed for the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, scaled up by about one-third.
Raytheon is hoping to start APG-63(V)3 deliveries in late 2007, which coincides with Singapore's targeted service entry date. This, however, is contingent on the USAF providing funding in 2004 for a (V)3 follow-on upgrade to the (V)1, which for the last two years has been supported by funding mandated by US Congress. The F-15T's radar would include additional modes including an air-to-ground capability.
Other improvements would include removing the need for periodic depot maintenance through improved system reliability and where possible, moving to two level maintenance. The weapons package could include the new 225kg (500lb) JDAM GPS-guided bomb and involve clearing the outboard weapon stations 1 and 9 for air-to-air missiles. Singapore would have the choice of equipping the fighter with the Lockheed Martin Tiger Eyes targeting, navigation and infrared search-and-track pod selected for the F-15K, or the Northrop Grumman Litening II system already in Singaporean service.
The F-15T includes the choice of the improved BAE Systems ALR-56C or new Raytheon ALR-69A(V) radar warning receivers, a towed decoy, likely to be either the BAE ALE-55 or Raytheon F0-50 fibre-optic systems, the Northrop Grumman ALQ-139M jammer and Link 16 tactical datalink.
Engine options include either the F-15K's newly launched General Electric F110-129 or Pratt & Whitney F100-229. Singapore would have the choice of taking the fighter in the two-seat configuration or opting for a single seater.
Source: Flight International
