To be fair, in term of detection range, even when compare against APG-80, the APG-83 is pretty pathetic since F-16 block 70 lack cooling capacity of F-16 block 60I haven't heard anyone call the SABR mediocre before.
To be fair, in term of detection range, even when compare against APG-80, the APG-83 is pretty pathetic since F-16 block 70 lack cooling capacity of F-16 block 60I haven't heard anyone call the SABR mediocre before.
I'm not really sure what you are implying by quoting the twitter links. The only source I have for APG-85 being US only is Steve Trimble of AvWeek who is not a particularly reliable source but has been towing the APG-85 US only line for over a year now. He said the same thing on an AvWeek podcast in June.Poles f-35 will be in lot 16 and lot 17. Most Polish f-35 will be in lot 16, but 6 of them will be from 17.
View: https://x.com/TheFuriousFafik/status/1828464292628242710
And with Block 4, you're going to get a new radar, for just the U.S. customers, actually the APG-85, which is going to replace the APG-81. The international customers will stay with the APG-81.
Still light years ahead of the AN/APG-68 or AN/APG-66 in older F-16s.To be fair, in term of detection range, even when compare against APG-80, the APG-83 is pretty pathetic since F-16 block 70 lack cooling capacity of F-16 block 60
"I do believe Poland would phase out their F-16 earlier than planned if they do acquire the EX." - I am sorry, but they do not do it. PL f-16 are too new (about 20 lears).@gigant_rejser : Of course!
I was more thinking at plinking Drones and Cruise Missiles.
Note: I do believe Poland would phase out their F-16 earlier than planned if they do acquire the EX.
Thank you.I'm not really sure what you are implying by quoting the twitter links. The only source I have for APG-85 being US only is Steve Trimble of AvWeek who is not a particularly reliable source but has been towing the APG-85 US only line for over a year now. He said the same thing on an AvWeek podcast in June.
Podcast: The F-35 Has A Case Of Long COVID | Aviation Week Network
Listen in as Aviation Week editors discuss the GAO's latest report on the F-35 and explain what's hampering the now $2 trillion program.aviationweek.com
If Ukraine desires a twin-engine "heavy fighter" to counter Russia's Flankers, the Eurofighter Typhoon is a more logistically available option in Europe. F-15s provided to Ukraine would have to be flown all the way from the Continental United States across the Atlantic Ocean before they can arrive in Ukraine. In fact, it was reported in August 2022 that the Eurofighter Typhoon was one of several Western fighters that was requested by the Ukrainian Air Force (Diaz, 2022).Since the USAF is in the process of retiring its' F-15C/Ds and will soon be retiring the early block F-15Es (The ones powered with the -220 engine) despite their airframes being heavily fatigued I wonder if they have enough airframe life left to consider donating some of them to Ukraine (After of course training Ukrainian F-15 pilots and ground-crew)?
The Strike Eagles were built for a 16,000hr life with a depot overhaul at 8,000hrs, and from their IOC of 1989 till 2012 the fleet accrual averaged 6,000 hours, an average of 260hrs/yr. That suggests a potential lifespan of about 60 years, so roughly 2050 for the retirement date.Since the USAF is in the process of retiring its' F-15C/Ds and will soon be retiring the early block F-15Es (The ones powered with the -220 engine) despite their airframes being heavily fatigued I wonder if they have enough airframe life left to consider donating some of them to Ukraine (After of course training Ukrainian F-15 pilots and ground-crew)?
Maybe, essentially same engine and same weapons systems as the F-16s. Would the US be happy to transfer aircraft with the APG-82, perhaps not but not sure.Since the USAF is in the process of retiring its' F-15C/Ds and will soon be retiring the early block F-15Es (The ones powered with the -220 engine) despite their airframes being heavily fatigued I wonder if they have enough airframe life left to consider donating some of them to Ukraine (After of course training Ukrainian F-15 pilots and ground-crew)?
Does anyone have spare Eurofighters to donate? The UK has an on again off again relationship with its T1s but I can't see too many other nations with Eurofighters a sitting around that could be donated.If Ukraine desires a twin-engine "heavy fighter" to counter Russia's Flankers, the Eurofighter Typhoon is a more logistically available option in Europe. F-15s provided to Ukraine would have to be flown all the way from the Continental United States across the Atlantic Ocean before they can arrive in Ukraine. In fact, it was reported in August 2022 that the Eurofighter Typhoon was one of several Western fighters that was requested by the Ukrainian Air Force (Diaz, 2022).
There is also the possibility of Ukraine acquiring the Gripen from Sweden in the future. On September 9, 2024, Sweden announced its 17th aid package for Ukraine of 4.6 billion Swedish crowns or $443 million USD which included funds to "facilitate a transfer of Gripen fighter jets in the future" (Reuters, 2024).Maybe, essentially same engine and same weapons systems as the F-16s. Would the US be happy to transfer aircraft with the APG-82, perhaps not but not sure.
I expect though the more likely scenario is to continue providing the F-16.
Not a good choice IMO. Too small a global fleet and neither Sweden or the other few nations who purchased it have many to spare.There is also the possibility of Ukraine acquiring the Gripen from Sweden in the future. On September 9, 2024, Sweden announced its 17th aid package for Ukraine of 4.6 billion Swedish crowns or $443 million USD which included funds to "facilitate a transfer of Gripen fighter jets in the future" (Reuters, 2024).
Sweden's in the process of upgrading to new-build Gripen Es, while their requirements point to keeping the Cs, I could very much see them gradually shipping Cs to Ukraine and increasing their E buy in compensation.Not a good choice IMO. Too small a global fleet and neither Sweden or the other few nations who purchased it have many to spare.
Any increase in Gripen E is 5+ years away at best. Per a recent TWZ article,Sweden's in the process of upgrading to new-build Gripen Es, while their requirements point to keeping the Cs, I could very much see them gradually shipping Cs to Ukraine and increasing their E buy in compensation.
Sweden currently has about 97 C and D variants in service. While they had planned to do away with all the C/D variants in favor of the E models, that was scrapped after Russia invaded Ukraine and Stockholm decided it wanted to maintain a larger Air Force.
Sweden’s long-term plan is to have 120 Gripens serving by 2030, with half being E variants. That would leave roughly 37 C/D models potentially available to Ukraine, but the number is likely a bit lower due to airframe fatigue and other factors. However, it remains highly questionable that Sweden can get 60 Es in service in that timeline, meaning a continued need for the existing airframes. That could reduce the number that could be available for Ukraine in the relatively near term. An additional factor is that because Sweden opted not to procure the two-seat F variant, there will be a continued need for the D model for training purposes, further reducing the amount of Gripens that could eventually go to Ukraine.
There are no Gripen A/B remaining in storage. To save money all A/Bs in storage were converted/cannibalized to C/D as part of that build.IIRC Sweden still has Gripen A/Bs in storage too.
Hungary will get 4 additional new C/D models, I guess they will be sourced from those 14 airframes. Still 10 airframes left in that case. But such low numbers don't make it worthwhile to introduce the type into Ukrainian service imho.There were 14 unfinished white tail C/Ds but I believe these have been committed to customers now.
Yes USAF stated intent but has to get Congressional approval which as evidenced by the number of platforms still in USAF service they would rather be rid off that it isn't always what the USAF want.The retirement of the -220 powered USAF Strike Eagles is just a plan at the moment. No final decision has been made yet.
While the F-15EX lacks the stealth to serve as the tip-of-the-spear in a high-end fight, the aircraft is so broadly capable that the Air Force could potentially use it in several different ways until the airspace has been cleared enough for it to go on the prowl.
You can read our full coverage of this story here: https://www.sandboxx.us/news/americas...
And you also refuse to acknowledge the B-21 or F-18E/F, as well as the Tu-22M?* I refuse to use the Mickey-Mouse non-standard EX suffix.
Israel’s Defense Ministry has announced a landmark agreement to acquire a squadron of F-15EX from US Defense giant Boeing. The deal, valued at $5.2 billion, includes the purchase of 25 F-15EX jets.These will be designated as F-15IA once they enter Israeli Air Force.
The procurement will be funded through U.S. military aid to Israel.
As per reports, the agreement was part of a broader package of U.S. aid approved by the U.S. administration and Congress earlier this year and included an option for 25 additional aircraft.The fighter jets will be delivered in batches of four to six a year, starting in 2031.
The Israeli Defense Ministry said on November 6 that the procurement is part of Israel’s broader strategy to maintain its air superiority in the region.
In this video, Defense Updates analyzes how F-15EX jets will greatly enhance capabilities of Israeli Air Force ?
Where is F-15F, G, H?
Because the advanced Es that everyone is buying are (country code) with a second suffix letter, like SA or -J Kai for the Japanese (Kai being the Japanese word for "improved", roughly translated)Instead of using the non-standard F-15IA why not call it the F-15L (J and K have already been assigned to Japanese and South Korean F-15s respectively).
Because the advanced Es that everyone is buying are (country code) with a second suffix letter
Wouldn't the E version have been the single seat if it happened - A, C, E and B, D, F?F-15F was a proposed single seat version of the F-15E from the earlier 90s. So it's used already. A dedicated Wild Weasel version makes little sense in this day and age, as modern EW suite provide the capabilities that were previously exclusive to dedicated platforms. At best a kind of EA/EW variant. Plain SEAD/DEAD isn't really a thing these days.
The F-15E was the first multi-role two-seater Eagle in which the guy in back had anything more than basic flight controls and instruments. Originally there were never any plans to make a single-seat version of the Strike Eagle. I think the F-15F appeared as an offer for the Saudis and other export customers. It would still have multi-role capability, but it was more of an air-superiority fighter first. In that sense it would have replaced the C models with the original, lighter airframe that I believe were no longer in-production.Wouldn't the E version have been the single seat if it happened - A, C, E and B, D, F?
A dedicated Wild Weasel version makes little sense in this day and age, as modern EW suite provide the capabilities that were previously exclusive to dedicated platforms. At best a kind of EA/EW variant. Plain SEAD/DEAD isn't really a thing these days.
Wouldn't the E version have been the single seat if it happened - A, C, E and B, D, F?
A wild weasel version could probably be made if it was equipped with FAST-packs loaded with ESM/EW gear instead of fuel.
Personally I think it would be useful. The USAF has lacked a dedicated escort jammer ever since the EF-111A was retired and currently has to ask the Navy for EA-18G support if they ever need that sort of thing for a mission. An EF-15 could very much fill the same role and utilize a lot of the F-15 logistics already in place. It's not the perfect fit for the role, but it would be pretty good I think, probably better than the EA-18G in some respects.Would be a waste these days.
An EF-15 could very much fill the same role and utilize a lot of the F-15 logistics already in place. It's not the perfect fit for the role, but it would be pretty good I think, probably better than the EA-18G in some respects.
Part of the EA-18G community exists solely to perform so-called expeditionary missions, though. The Navy maintains more VAQ squadrons than it has Carriers and Airwings specifically to have units to support USAF operations and for land-based taskings (a total of 5 such squadrons, IIRC).Personally I think it would be useful. The USAF has lacked a dedicated escort jammer ever since the EF-111A was retired and currently has to ask the Navy for EA-18G support if they ever need that sort of thing for a mission. An EF-15 could very much fill the same role and utilize a lot of the F-15 logistics already in place. It's not the perfect fit for the role, but it would be pretty good I think, probably better than the EA-18G in some respects.
I wonder if it's possible to rearrange jamming pods into conformal tanks, and get a proper raven replacement this way.