The US Air Force received the first F-15EX fighter. The machine, among other things, is distinguished by a large combat load. In the future, it can be used as a carrier for hypersonic weapons systems.
The F-15EX fighter has recently attracted a lot of media attention, which is due to the wide capabilities of the new complex. On March 10, the project overcame a key stage: the US Air Force received the first of the previously ordered aircraft of this type.
In the photo below, you can see a fighter jet heading to Eglin Air Force Base in Florida from the Boeing plant in St. Louis.
The first F-15EX for the US Air Force
Image source: Boeing
"This is an important moment for the Air Force," said Colonel Sean Dory, head of the U.S. Air Force's F-15EX program. According to him, the F-15EX will become a key element of the fleet of American tactical fighters, complementing the new, fifth-generation combat vehicles.
The latest version of the famous F-15 has advanced avionics, in particular the Eagle Passive/Active Warning and Survivability System, a state-of-the-art digital cockpit, and the perfect computer for performing the ADCP-II missions from Honeywell. The aircraft is equipped with a Raytheon AN / APG-82 active phased array (AFAR) radar.
Watch as @USAirForce test pilots take to the skies for the first time in the #F15EX, with its official U.S. Air Force livery. The recent flight paves the way for delivery. pic.twitter.com/smPvUXIiNf- Boeing Defense (@BoeingDefense) March 3, 2021
The aircraft is said to be capable of carrying up to 22 guided air — to-air missiles or " hypersonic weapons up to 22 feet long and weighing up to 7,000 pounds." If we talk about mini-bombs of the Small Diameter Bomb type, then their aircraft can take up to 28 units, which is close to the performance of one of the most advanced strike aircraft of our time — the F-15E Strike Eagle.
The delivery of the Boeing F-15EX took place just over a month after the first flight of the aircraft, which took place on February 2. The second F-15EX is due to arrive in Eglin next month, and the remaining six vehicles from the first batch will be delivered there in fiscal year 2023. In total, the US military expects to receive about two hundred aircraft of the new type: they must compensate for the F-15,which will be retired in the foreseeable future.
First flight of the F-15EX
Image source: Boeing
The F-15EX can, with certain reservations, be called an analog of the Russian Su-35S, which belongs to the same generation as the "American" — 4+(+). Recall that last year, the Russian Defense Ministry showed footage of the launch of a long-range R — 37M air-to-air missile from the Su-35S.
Launch of a long-range missile from the Su-35S
Image source: bmpd
Earlier, we could also see these vehicles equipped with medium — range R-77 air — to-air missiles-an analog of the American AIM-120 AMRAAM.