When Boeing delivered the first F-15EX Eagle II to Eglin Air Force Base in March 2021, I have to admit I was skeptical. As someone who’s followed fighter development for years, I figured fifth-gen stealth was the only game in town. Turns out the Air Force has a numbers problem that even the F-35 can’t solve.
Why a New F-15 in the Stealth Age?
The decision to buy new F-15s surprised plenty of observers who assumed stealth fighters owned the future. But the Air Force can’t maintain enough combat aircraft to meet global commitments while older jets age out.
The F-15C/D fleet, some aircraft dating to the 1980s, hit end of structural life. These jets averaged over 9,000 flight hours—way beyond original specs. Rather than keep pouring money into life-extension programs, the Air Force chose new-build F-15EXs with 20,000-hour airframe life.
Cost played a role too. At roughly $88 million per aircraft, the F-15EX costs less than the F-35A and arrives with mature systems requiring less developmental risk. For missions that don’t demand stealth, the Eagle II delivers serious capability at known cost.
The Force Structure Challenge
Legacy F-15C/D aircraft needed replacement, but F-35 production couldn’t scale fast enough to fill all gaps. The F-15EX provides bridge capability—new airframes that can serve for decades while the service completes its next-gen transition.
Plus, Air National Guard units needed modern aircraft for air sovereignty missions. The F-15EX’s air superiority focus makes it ideal for homeland defense, intercepting Russian and Chinese aircraft probing North American airspace—missions where stealth provides minimal advantage anyway.
Advanced Systems, Proven Platform
The F-15EX isn’t simply a legacy fighter with fresh paint. Boeing integrated technologies originally developed for international customers—particularly Saudi Arabia’s F-15SA—into the most capable Eagle ever built.
APG-82(V)1 AESA Radar: This active electronically scanned array provides significantly improved detection range, tracking capability, and EW resistance compared to mechanically scanned predecessors. It can track and engage multiple air and ground targets simultaneously.
EPAWSS: This fully digital electronic warfare suite replaces the aging TEWS system with 360-degree threat awareness and both active and passive countermeasures. Open architecture allows rapid software updates as threats evolve.
Advanced Display Core Processor: Large-area display and processing power to integrate data from multiple sources. Pilots get a modernized interface while keeping the controls and handling that made the F-15 legendary.
Fly-by-Wire Evolution
Unlike earlier F-15 variants with mechanical flight controls, the F-15EX features full fly-by-wire. This digital system improves handling, reduces pilot workload, and enables advanced envelope protections. It can automatically limit maneuvers that might overstress the airframe while allowing full performance when needed.
The fly-by-wire architecture also enables more aggressive maneuvering than mechanical systems could safely allow—improved air combat agility despite the Eagle’s size.
Unmatched Weapons Capacity
The F-15EX’s greatest advantage might be what it carries. With 23,000 pounds of payload capacity across 12 hardpoints, no other U.S. fighter matches its weapons load.
In air superiority configuration, the Eagle II can carry up to 12 air-to-air missiles—a significant advantage in scenarios where quantity of shots matters more than individual platform survivability. This “missile truck” concept pairs F-15EXs with stealthier platforms providing targeting data.
The aircraft is cleared for the hypersonic AGM-183A ARRW, giving it strategic strike capability few fighters can match. Additional weapons include JDAMs, Small Diameter Bombs, and JASSM.
The Weapons Integration Advantage
Because the F-15 platform has been in continuous production for international customers, weapons integration never stopped. The F-15EX benefits from decades of improvement funded largely by export sales. New weapons integrate faster and cheaper than on platforms with smaller user bases.
This includes emerging capabilities like the AIM-260 JATM, which will eventually replace AMRAAM as the primary beyond-visual-range weapon. The F-15EX’s spacious weapons bays and modern avionics make it ideal for extended-range missiles that smaller fighters can’t accommodate.
Performance That Still Impresses
The Eagle II’s specs reveal why the F-15 design has endured:
- Maximum Speed: Mach 2.5+ (over 1,650 mph)
- Combat Radius: 1,000+ nautical miles
- Service Ceiling: 60,000+ feet
- Thrust-to-Weight Ratio: Greater than 1:1 (can accelerate while climbing vertically)
Two GE F110-GE-129 engines at 29,500 pounds of thrust each with afterburner give exceptional climb rate and energy management in air combat.
Range and Endurance Advantages
Nearly 13,000 pounds of internal fuel provides combat radius exceeding many smaller fighters. For Pacific operations where distances are vast, this range advantage matters. Add conformal fuel tanks for even more range without sacrificing weapon stations—a capability from the F-15E Strike Eagle.
Combined with its speed, the F-15EX responds to threats across large areas faster than alternatives—particularly valuable for quick-reaction alert missions.
Operational Concept: The High-Low Mix
The Air Force sees F-15EXs working alongside F-22s and F-35s rather than replacing them. In contested environments, stealth fighters penetrate defenses and establish air superiority. F-15EXs then operate in cleared airspace, using superior payload capacity to sustain combat operations.
This echoes the original F-15/F-16 high-low mix from the 1970s, updated for modern threats. The F-15EX serves as the high-end non-stealth complement to smaller, more numerous F-35s.
For homeland defense over the continental US, where stealth matters less, the F-15EX offers cost-effective intercept capability with exceptional range and speed.
Program Status and Future
The Air Force initially ordered eight F-15EX aircraft for testing, with plans to acquire up to 144 total. Production occurs at Boeing’s St. Louis facility, the same plant building F-15s since the 1970s. Mature production enabled rapid delivery—first aircraft arrived just over two years after contract award.
International interest continues. Boeing markets the F-15EX to nations seeking advanced capability without the technology transfer restrictions accompanying fifth-generation fighters.
The Eagle’s Legacy Continues
Zero air-to-air combat losses in over 50 years of service—the F-15’s record stands unmatched. The F-15EX preserves this heritage while incorporating capabilities that couldn’t have been imagined when the original Eagle first flew in 1972.
Whether the bet on fourth-generation capability pays off depends on how future conflicts unfold. But for now, the F-15EX gives the Air Force flexibility—a proven platform for missions that don’t require stealth, freeing limited F-35 and F-22 assets for the most demanding scenarios.
The Eagle II may not be the future of air superiority, but it’s ensuring that future arrives without capability gaps.
