Boeing’s new F-15EX fighter aircraft completed its first flight this week, in advance of early delivery of the first two jets to the U.S. Air Force during Q1 2021. Powered by two GE Aviation F110 engines, the jet completed a 90-minute test flight from, and returning to, St. Louis Lambert International Airport.
The F-15EX is a new, single-seat variant of Boeing’s F-15 series fighter jet, intended to replace the USAF's F-15C/Ds. Improvements include an expanded weapons rack to carry up to 22 air-to-air missiles, infrared search-and-track functions, advanced avionic and electronic warfare systems, and AESA radar. The revised aircraft structure has a projected a service life of 20,000 hours.
Last year the U.S. Dept. of Defense requested $1.1 billion from the FY 2020 budget to purchase eight of the new fighters, which would be part of a total acquisition of 144 F-15EXs for the USAF.
In the test flight, Boeing F-15 chief test pilot Matt Giese tested the multirole jet’s avionics, systems and software, and a team monitored data collected during the flight in real time, confirming that the aircraft performed as planned.
According to Boeing, the aircraft’s “digital backbone” will make it a test bed for evaluating future technology.
“Today’s successful flight proves the jet’s safety and readiness to join our nation’s fighter fleet,” stated Boeing v.p. Prat Kumar, F-15 program manager. “Our customer can feel confident in its decision to invest in this platform that is capable of incorporating the latest advanced battle management systems, sensors and weapons due to the jet’s digital airframe design and open mission systems architecture.”
