Boeing F-15EX / F-15QA and related variants

[Foo Fighter]

If they tie the buy into the usaf acqusition it would be far more cost effective I agree. There is still a market around the lexx developed nations for the airframes they already have.

 

[bob225]

Not 100% sure where to put this, feel free to move.

F-15 pilot thanks spotter who raised the alarm when he spotted F-15 trailing sparks:

Pilot praises RAF Lakenheath plane spotter for saving his life

Ian Simpson alerts an airbase after seeing sparks and flames coming from the rear of a jet.

www.bbc.co.uk

 

[timmymagic]

Not 100% sure where to put this, feel free to move.

F-15 pilot thanks spotter who raised the alarm when he spotted F-15 trailing sparks:

Pilot praises RAF Lakenheath plane spotter for saving his life

Ian Simpson alerts an airbase after seeing sparks and flames coming from the rear of a jet.

www.bbc.co.uk

The USAF have a very good relationship with the local spotter community, and with the photographers over in the Mach Loop. If its someones last flight through the loop they'll tip the regulars there off, do a very low run through, with the cockpit tipped towards where the photographers are and get sent the hi-res pics back in return as a keepsake.

 

[Grey Havoc]

Saw that. Good on him!

 

[F-14D]

Returning to the AIM-120 for a moment.

If I remember accurately, one of the changes introduced with the D was a repackaging of the electronics in a more circular layout to free up space in the center for more fuel. Then it was decided not to put in the extra fuel after all and range increase was mostly attributed to flying, "...a more optimum profile.

True or fals? And, if true, that void should still be there and maybe they could start using it if they want to increase range.

 

[rooster]

Slightly off-topic, but Japan is cleared to transform 98 of its F-15J Eagles into "Japanese Super Interceptors".
Link: https://www.dsca.mil/major-arms-sales/japan-f-15j-modernization

Funding suspended: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/12/12/national/2021-budget-f-15/

I feel Japan does need a fighter that performs the “grunt work” of long range naval patrol and interception even as its fleet shifts to F-35s and perhaps the F-3 once that’s ready. Scrambling fifth generation aircraft, which are maintenance heavy and expensive, against Bears and H-6s is not the best use of defense budget. This is why I think USAF’s decision to invest in the F-15X is justified.

The F-15J airframes are very old, with the newest built in the late 1990s. It’s probably better for them to either acquire F-15X or indigenize airframe/engine production.

Japan is one of our most important allies in the region. I say no way do they need flying radar reflectors. Time to get into this century. Maybe a less advanced egad is appropriate but then you have to spend the money to develop a new variant .

 

[helmutkohl]

Now that we know the model number for this variant, I've updated the thread title so that this thread focuses on the QA and EX (which are related).
In the Japanese thread, I wrote that the JPN government is planning to standardize around 3 combat aircraft. the F-35, the next gen Japanese aircraft, and an advance F-15 model. I suspect it could possibly be some variant of the EX as well.

 

[isayyo2]

Now that we know the model number for this variant, I've updated the thread title so that this thread focuses on the QA and EX (which are related).
In the Japanese thread, I wrote that the JPN government is planning to standardize around 3 combat aircraft. the F-35, the next gen Japanese aircraft, and an advance F-15 model. I suspect it could possibly be some variant of the EX as well.

Is it possible Mitsubishi's tooling still exists? That would certainly speed up an F-15EJ (EXJ?) production run.

 

[trose213]

Now that we know the model number for this variant, I've updated the thread title so that this thread focuses on the QA and EX (which are related).
In the Japanese thread, I wrote that the JPN government is planning to standardize around 3 combat aircraft. the F-35, the next gen Japanese aircraft, and an advance F-15 model. I suspect it could possibly be some variant of the EX as well.

Is it possible Mitsubishi's tooling still exists? That would certainly speed up an F-15EJ (EXJ?) production run.

Tooling isn't the problem it's certifying all the custom Japanese electronics and having to pay for all of that one time engineering work.

 

[siegecrossbow]

Returning to the AIM-120 for a moment.

If I remember accurately, one of the changes introduced with the D was a repackaging of the electronics in a more circular layout to free up space in the center for more fuel. Then it was decided not to put in the extra fuel after all and range increase was mostly attributed to flying, "...a more optimum profile.

True or fals? And, if true, that void should still be there and maybe they could start using it if they want to increase range.

I'm more interested in whether the dual-pulse motor rumor was true.

 

[helmutkohl]

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGWImj-0wJo

Boeing rolls out the F-15QA

 

[Mark Nankivil]

Had 4 QAs fly over in formation at relatively low altitude Tuesday - been a while since I have seen and especially heard that! Assuming they were practicing for this event or showing the Boss what they had.

Enjoy the Day! Mark

 

[TomcatViP]

Israeli PM To Request Biden Clear Money To Purchase New F-15IAs: Sources - Breaking Defense

UPDATE: Thursday’s planned meeting between Biden and Bennett has been postponed following the attacks in Kabul. It is unclear exactly when that meeting will now take place. TEL AVIV: When Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett meets with US President Joe Biden, he plans to ask the United States...

breakingdefense.com

 

[Mark Nankivil]

Had 4 QAs fly over in formation at relatively low altitude Tuesday - been a while since I have seen and especially heard that! Assuming they were practicing for this event or showing the Boss what they had.

Enjoy the Day! Mark

Turns out they were giving VIP rides to the Bosses.... Mark

 

[TomcatViP]

Even Qatari's Ubers have to be hyped.

 

[helmutkohl]

slightly off topic

but how does everyone here feel about merging the classic F-15 and the advanced F-15 threads into one mega F-15 thread?

at least for this section, the number of posts for the classic F-15 is actually not that many.
but we do have quite a few F-15 related threads in A&S that should be merged one way or another

 

[Josh_TN]

slightly off topic

but how does everyone here feel about merging the classic F-15 and the advanced F-15 threads into one mega F-15 thread?

at least for this section, the number of posts for the classic F-15 is actually not that many.
but we do have quite a few F-15 related threads in A&S that should be merged one way or another

Burn the heretic!!!!!

 

[isayyo2]

slightly off topic

but how does everyone here feel about merging the classic F-15 and the advanced F-15 threads into one mega F-15 thread?

at least for this section, the number of posts for the classic F-15 is actually not that many.
but we do have quite a few F-15 related threads in A&S that should be merged one way or another

I'll have to say "Pass" as a 20+ page mega thread isn't alway conductive for research.
However, if we ever get that "view all pages" feature again I'd be for it

 

[NMaude]

I have a question concerning the Pratt&Whitney F100 and the General Electric engines and that is where exactly are they made in the US? I've tried looking on the wikipedia but the articles concerning their makers are vague as to where they're actually built.

 

[Foo Fighter]

I think that sort of information would be very deliberately kept vague. No reason for us plebs to know that sort of thing.

 

[TomS]

I have a question concerning the Pratt&Whitney F100 and the General Electric engines and that is where exactly are they made in the US? I've tried looking on the wikipedia but the articles concerning their makers are vague as to where they're actually built.

Any US Government contract award will tell you what state the work will be done in (usually broken down by percentage).

 

[NMaude]

I have a question concerning the Pratt&Whitney F100 and the General Electric engines and that is where exactly are they made in the US? I've tried looking on the wikipedia but the articles concerning their makers are vague as to where they're actually built.

Any US Government contract award will tell you what state the work will be done in (usually broken down by percentage).

Would you please elaborate as I haven't looked at any such contracts, so where are these power-plants produced?

 

[Hanse]

I have a question concerning the Pratt&Whitney F100 and the General Electric engines and that is where exactly are they made in the US? I've tried looking on the wikipedia but the articles concerning their makers are vague as to where they're actually built.

Any US Government contract award will tell you what state the work will be done in (usually broken down by percentage).

Anymore they try to spread things out to as many states as possible. Do they include where final assembly is done, typically?

 

[philip.morten]

I have a question concerning the Pratt&Whitney F100 and the General Electric engines and that is where exactly are they made in the US? I've tried looking on the wikipedia but the articles concerning their makers are vague as to where they're actually built.

Any US Government contract award will tell you what state the work will be done in (usually broken down by percentage).

Would you please elaborate as I haven't looked at any such contracts, so where are these power-plants produced?

Fom https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2707824/source/GovDelivery

Raytheon Technologies Corp., East Hartford, Connecticut, has been awarded a $212,053,200 delivery order against the F100 production program’s indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for F100-PW-229 install engines. Work will be performed in East Hartford, Connecticut

 

[Hanse]

I have a question concerning the Pratt&Whitney F100 and the General Electric engines and that is where exactly are they made in the US? I've tried looking on the wikipedia but the articles concerning their makers are vague as to where they're actually built.

Any US Government contract award will tell you what state the work will be done in (usually broken down by percentage).

Would you please elaborate as I haven't looked at any such contracts, so where are these power-plants produced?

Fom https://www.defense.gov/Newsroom/Contracts/Contract/Article/2707824/source/GovDelivery

Raytheon Technologies Corp., East Hartford, Connecticut, has been awarded a $212,053,200 delivery order against the F100 production program’s indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract for F100-PW-229 install engines. Work will be performed in East Hartford, Connecticut

Does Raytheon own P&W now?

 

[TomS]

Does Raytheon own P&W now?

Technically, United Technologies (which owns PW) bought Raytheon back in 2019, and then merged PW into Raytheon. In practice, yeah. UT sold off its non-defense businesses (Otis and Carrier) in the process of buying Raytheon, so the only major parts left were PW and Collins.

 

[DystopicProcurement]

I have a question concerning the Pratt&Whitney F100 and the General Electric engines and that is where exactly are they made in the US? I've tried looking on the wikipedia but the articles concerning their makers are vague as to where they're actually built.

It's my understanding that the GE fighter engines are made in Lynn, Mass with the P&W in Hartford, CT. In both cases, the parts within the engines themselves are made all over the country.

 

[TomcatViP]

As a currently-qualified F-15E pilot, Kelly accomplished his F-15EX flight after completing the requisite academic and simulator training. Kelly, completed this conversion qualification to gain a first-hand perspective of the unique attributes and capabilities the F-15EX brings to the fight.

“When folks talk about 4th and 5th gen fighters, it’s important to zero out the ambiguity of exactly ‘what’ they are referring to,” Kelly said. “Are we talking signature, avionics, sensors/sensor fusion, and weapons? Because there is absolutely zero doubt that 4th gen aircraft equipped with 5th gen sensors, avionics, and weapons bring disruptive and decisive effects to a peer fight.”

ACC commander completes F-15EX qualification

Gen. Mark Kelly flew the Eagle II for the first time Sept. 1.

www.eglin.af.mil

 

[TomcatViP]

In its first major exercise, two F-15EXs flew during Northern Edge 21 in Alaska in May. Six pilots flew 33 sorties covering nearly 90 total flight hours.

“We were able to get higher and faster than the F-15Cs due to the GE-129 motors,” Lt. Col. Weston Turner, director of the F-15 Division at the Air National Guard/Air Force Reserve Test Center, said in a press release shortly after Northern Edge concluded. “The expanded capabilities … and enhanced avionics brought significantly increased situational awareness and capabilities to the exercise.”

Why is GE's F110-129 the Best Engine for USAF's F-15EX? | Air & Space Forces Magazine

The Air Force is rolling out the newest version of the F-15, the new F-15EX Eagle II, and the benefits of the GE F110-129 have never been plainer.

www.airforcemag.com

 

[Hanse]

In its first major exercise, two F-15EXs flew during Northern Edge 21 in Alaska in May. Six pilots flew 33 sorties covering nearly 90 total flight hours.

“We were able to get higher and faster than the F-15Cs due to the GE-129 motors,” Lt. Col. Weston Turner, director of the F-15 Division at the Air National Guard/Air Force Reserve Test Center, said in a press release shortly after Northern Edge concluded. “The expanded capabilities … and enhanced avionics brought significantly increased situational awareness and capabilities to the exercise.”

Why is GE's F110-129 the Best Engine for USAF's F-15EX? | Air & Space Forces Magazine

The Air Force is rolling out the newest version of the F-15, the new F-15EX Eagle II, and the benefits of the GE F110-129 have never been plainer.

www.airforcemag.com

Now put -132s in it.

 

[isayyo2]

Now put -132s in it.

Aren't there some E model still flying with PW 220E's?

 

[F119Doctor]

In its first major exercise, two F-15EXs flew during Northern Edge 21 in Alaska in May. Six pilots flew 33 sorties covering nearly 90 total flight hours.

“We were able to get higher and faster than the F-15Cs due to the GE-129 motors,” Lt. Col. Weston Turner, director of the F-15 Division at the Air National Guard/Air Force Reserve Test Center, said in a press release shortly after Northern Edge concluded. “The expanded capabilities … and enhanced avionics brought significantly increased situational awareness and capabilities to the exercise.”

Why is GE's F110-129 the Best Engine for USAF's F-15EX? | Air & Space Forces Magazine

The Air Force is rolling out the newest version of the F-15, the new F-15EX Eagle II, and the benefits of the GE F110-129 have never been plainer.

www.airforcemag.com

Pretty much the same performance as F-15E configured for air to air with PW229 engines. No surprises there….

 

[aim9xray]

In its first major exercise, two F-15EXs flew during Northern Edge 21 in Alaska in May. Six pilots flew 33 sorties covering nearly 90 total flight hours.

“We were able to get higher and faster than the F-15Cs due to the GE-129 motors,” Lt. Col. Weston Turner, director of the F-15 Division at the Air National Guard/Air Force Reserve Test Center, said in a press release shortly after Northern Edge concluded. “The expanded capabilities … and enhanced avionics brought significantly increased situational awareness and capabilities to the exercise.”

Why is GE's F110-129 the Best Engine for USAF's F-15EX? | Air & Space Forces Magazine

The Air Force is rolling out the newest version of the F-15, the new F-15EX Eagle II, and the benefits of the GE F110-129 have never been plainer.

www.airforcemag.com

F-15EX Eagle II? Allrighty then.

 

[Archibald]

Eagle II: y gueule deux fois plus fort ! (runs for cover)

 

[TomcatViP]

India to manufacture unspecified structural parts for the Eagle II program in Bengaluru:

Bengaluru firm Dynamatic Technologies to make aerostructure assemblies for Boeing's F-15EX Eagle II fighter aircraft

Dynamatic Technologies MD & CEO Udayant Malhoutra said, “Dynamatic has been associated closely with Boeing as a strategic tier-1 supplier partner for over a decade. The award for manufacturing aerostructures for the F-15EX Eagle II to Dynamatic is a testimony of our partnership with Boeing.”

economictimes.indiatimes.com

 

[Hanse]

In its first major exercise, two F-15EXs flew during Northern Edge 21 in Alaska in May. Six pilots flew 33 sorties covering nearly 90 total flight hours.

“We were able to get higher and faster than the F-15Cs due to the GE-129 motors,” Lt. Col. Weston Turner, director of the F-15 Division at the Air National Guard/Air Force Reserve Test Center, said in a press release shortly after Northern Edge concluded. “The expanded capabilities … and enhanced avionics brought significantly increased situational awareness and capabilities to the exercise.”

Why is GE's F110-129 the Best Engine for USAF's F-15EX? | Air & Space Forces Magazine

The Air Force is rolling out the newest version of the F-15, the new F-15EX Eagle II, and the benefits of the GE F110-129 have never been plainer.

www.airforcemag.com

F-15EX Eagle II? Allrighty then.

Some versions of the F-8 Crusader were called "Crusader 2" so it's not entirely unprecedented. (Still marketing wank though.)

 

[TomcatViP]

F-15EX undergoes operational test mission at Nellis AFB

The F-15EX is undergoing operational test missions paired with F-15Cs and F-15Es at Nellis Air Force Base Oct. 18-25.

www.dvidshub.net

(only two airframe in service yet)

 

[Grey Havoc]

Air Force holds week of F-15EX tests at Nellis

Both the Air Force's F-15EXs -- tail numbers 001 and 002 -- spent a week at Nellis for a battery of operational tests.

www.defensenews.com

 

[SgtGungHo]

Alternate Fighter Plan: Cut F-15EX, Extend F-22, Buy New Stealth Jets, More F-35s | Air & Space Forces Magazine

The Air Force should drop its “4+1” fighter plan, keep the F-22 longer, and add more F-35s, a new Mitchell Institute paper argues.

www.airforcemag.com

Can we assume this is what AFA thinks of F-15EX? since Mitchell Institute is an affiliate of AFA.

 

[RavenOne]

Well after 3 abortive attempts to cross the pond this week the first four QA delivery flight arrived in sunny Suffolk - RAF Mildenhall yesterday so here are my photos below.

Cheers