More than a quarter-of-a-century after it first flew and 24 years after its first Farnborough appearance, the F-15 Eagle is still sitting near the top of the fighter tree. Still in service with the USAF and continuing to play a vital front-line role with the air forces of Israel, Japan, Saudi Arabia and South Korea, the F-15 is winning orders in competition with newer fighters.
Boeing remains confident of future sales and is convinced it can keep its production line open. It says the F-15 offers a range and payload advantage that is “unsurpassed by any other tactical aircraft”, and is offering it in markets where the shorter-range F/A-18E/F Super Hornet may be deemed unsuitable.
The type remains in production for both South Korea and Singapore at a rate of 12 aircraft in 2010 and 15 in 2011, and these orders will keep the St Louis line ‘hot’ until the third quarter of 2012. Boeing needs a new order by next year if a production gap is to be avoided.
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The F-15K Slam Eagle developed for Korea is viewed by Boeing as being the first of a new generation of Advanced F-15 variants, which combine the latest upgrades from USAF F-15C fighters and F-15E Strike Eagle variants in a single airframe. These aircraft also have the JHMCS helmet sight and AIM-9X missiles. Although the aircraft uses the original mechanically scanned AN/APG-63(V)1 radar this incorporates all of the AN/APG-70’s air-to-air and air-to-ground modes and adds new air-to-ground capabilities.
Korea has already added an extra 21 Pratt and Whitney-engined F-15Ks to its original order for 40 GE-powered jets, and has an outstanding requirement for up to 60 more fighters.
A version of the F-15E has been proposed to satisfy Japan's F-X requirement. Japan already has 200 F-15C/Ds in service and Boeing believes that its F-15FX proposal is well-placed, promising to fulfil Japanese aspirations for local manufacturing with an open architecture avionics system that will allow the integration of indigenous equipment, and with an AESA radar based on that of the F-15SG.
Source: Flight International
