McDONNELLDOUGLAS (MDC) has taken delivery of an F-15E to use as a testbed to demonstrate new avionics technology for the F-15 and other MDC aircraft. The company plans to flight-test improvements to reduce the cost of new F-15s and to upgrade existing aircraft.
The first project will be to test an advanced display core processor, which would replace the F-15's mission computer and display processor, the single box providing greater throughput and capacity than both the existing units.
This would be followed by flight tests with liquid-crystal displays replacing the F-15's cathode ray-tubes, says Michael Marks, general manager F-15/F-4 programmes.
New avionics offer the biggest opportunity to drive down the cost of the F-15 for future customers. Using commercial processor technology will reduce maintenance and upgrade costs, says Marks.
MDC still sees a market for 250 F-15-class fighters, with "five or six countries" expressing interest in the aircraft, led by South Korea.
The company provided pricing data to the US Department of Defense on 250 new single-seat F-15Es, dubbed F-15SEs, as part of the Quadrenniel Defence Review, but does not expect any orders. The US Air Force has purchased 12 additional F-15Es and is seeking six more in 1998 and 1999.
The USAF, meanwhile, has begun a field evaluation of General Electric's F110-129 engine in two F-15Es at Nellis AFB, Nevada.
Source: Flight International
