A Boeing-led consortium delivered the second F-15EX fighter aircraft to the U.S. Air Force on April 27, ahead of schedule and one month after the first jet was delivered.
The delivery follows by just eight months the USAF’s award of an “indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity” contract to Boeing for up to 200 F-15EXs, to replace the F-15C.
“Moving from contract award to delivery in a matter of months enables the U.S. Air Force to get a head start on flight testing and demonstrates our commitment to exceeding expectations,” stated Prat Kumar, Boeing v.p. and F-15 program manager.
The F-15EX is a single-seat variant of Boeing’s F-15 series fighter jet. Improvements over the previous-generation F-15C/Ds 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.
