The F-15EX Can Hold Its Own Against Fifth-Gen Fighter, Claims Annual Report
The plane’s cost is still an issue, but the F-15EX has proven to have a significantly higher mission-capable rate over the F-35 or even the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor.
The Boeing F-15EX Eagle II has been touted as being a cost-effective alternative to the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II—despite a 2023 study that found the “flyaway” cost for the Eagle II was even higher than the Lightning II. Moreover, critics of the Boeing fighter have argued it is simply a new model of an old warbird—but one with a significant combat record that includes more than 100 aerial kills and no losses.
The F-15EX Can Hold Its Own
The two-seat all-weather, multirole fighter is noted for offering enhanced capabilities that are unique to the U.S. Air Force. It includes fly-by-wire flight controls, new weapons stations, a new electronic warfare suite, advanced radar and computer, conformal fuel tanks, and a strengthened airframe.
The biggest praise for the Eagle II may have come from a Pentagon report released just weeks ago that claimed the 4.5+ generation F-15EX could hold its own against fifth-gen aircraft.
“The F-15EX is operationally effective in all its air superiority roles, including defensive and offensive counter-air against surrogate fifth-generation adversary aircraft, as well as basic air-to-ground capability against the tested threats. The F-15EX was able to detect and track all threats at advantageous ranges, use onboard and off-board systems to identify them, and deliver weapons while surviving,” the Directorate of Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) wrote in its 2024 annual report.
Those findings seem to counter the arguments from critics that the F-15EX Eagle II would be unable to hold its own against the fifth-gen Russian Sukhoi Su-57 (NATO reporting name “Felon”), or the Chinese Chengdu J-20 Mighty Dragon. Proponents of the aircraft counter that neither of the near-peer adversary aircraft is now available in significant numbers, and it seems unlikely that Russia will be able to increase the rate of production for its fifth-generation fighter for the foreseeable future, given the other pressing demands on its defense-industrial base.
Moreover, the F-15EX Eagle II will likely continue to be employed to escort high-value assets and serve in an air superiority role to counter missile threats, while still being able to conduct air-to-ground precision strikes. Thus the F-15EX could complement the F-35—not replace it, of course.
The cost is still an issue, but the F-15EX has proven to have a significantly higher mission-capable rate over the F-35 or even the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor. Though fewer than a dozen are now in service, the Eagle II achieved an 83.13% mission-capable rate, compared with the Lightning II’s MC rate of 67.15% for all variants.
More Upgrades Are Coming
Though the F-15EX is still in the early stages, it is already in the process of receiving additional upgrades. In January, Boeing was awarded a $615 million Pentagon contract for the F-15 Eagle Passive Active Warning Survivability System (EPAWSS) FRP, which will see the multirole aircraft updated with the kits through the end of 2030.
In addition, the aerospace firm announced it would move to full-rate production (FRP) for its electronic warfare (EW) kit that will be employed on Eagle II, as well as with the U.S. Air Force’s fleet of F-15E Strike Eagles. According to a December 2023 Pentagon Modernized Selected Acquisition Report (MSAR), 99 of the Strike Eagles will receive the upgrades—while all of the planned 98 F-15EX Eagles IIs that the service is acquiring will be equipped with the EPAWSS.
On Tuesday, RTX subsidiary Collins Aerospace confirmed that it had been awarded a contract to provide the ACES II ejection seats for the Eagle II fleet—enhancing the survivability of the multirole fighter.
A Future Proof Warbird
Boeing has claimed that the F-15EX will be easier to build and quicker to put into service, while the Eagle II can enable rapid technology insertion that will ensure the platform’s relevance for decades to come.
This will be accomplished via an Open Mission Systems Architecture, which can deliver Advanced Battle Management Systems (ABMS) capabilities, allowing the F-15EX to operate independently while isolated but also to reconnect to the global cloud.
However, as noted the price tag for the Eagle II is still significantly higher than initially touted, so Boeing will need to find a way to lower the cost—or risk having the program scaled back. That could explain why the aerospace firm has looked to foreign customers including Israel, Japan, Poland, and Saudi Arabia, as that could help drive down the costs and ensure that the U.S. Air Force remains committed to the Eagle II.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
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