A few scores had been there for a long time, but the warhorses of the U.S. Air Force were now achieving air supremacy but now. With the number of threats increasing and the warhorses aging, the decision was inevitable: keep patching up components on the old chassis or bring in a new, superior fighter into the fray. That response was in the shape of the F-15EX Eagle II—a new version of an old tried airframe, one to fight close-term adversaries and unknowns down the road.
Aesthetically, the F-15EX won’t be as different-looking from the rest, but under camouflage that appears so retro is a completely different bird. The Eagle II is built to survive the toughest combat environment, and it comes equipped with fly-by-wire flight control, an all-digital cockpit, and the new electronic warfare platform named the Eagle Passive/Active Warning and Survivability System (EPAWSS).
These are paired with its payload and flexibility to earn a jet record-breaking win. Open systems design in F-15EX also enables less heavy-handed integration of future tech, be it new avionics or cannons, without painful redesign. Its hypersonic delivery of missiles also witnesses its cutting-edge standing in the Air Force playbook.
The Eagle II program then gained some momentum in early 2019 when the Air Force increasingly felt the need to address rising readiness concerns with the aging F-15C/D fleet. Instead of continuing to milk those old birds until they would no longer fly, what was needed was to design a new airplane with the Eagle’s DNA but new bells and whistles. Boeing has already delivered the first F-15EX in March 2021, a month ahead of its maiden flight. Four of them were in the process of being tested at Eglin Air Force Base as of late 2023 before deploying the entire fleet.
The Air Force had originally intended to buy 144 F-15EXs. Under budget cuts, it was cut back to 98, but in testing for combat already utilized, the aircraft has proven to be economical. The plane can stream data continuously to other platforms, fire advanced missiles, and loiter in hostile skies.
EX3 and EX4, program production aircraft 3 and 4, featured innovations such as forward cockpit pressure indications, improved satellite communications, and a new, all-new forward fuselage to fulfill special Air Force requirements. These types of new capabilities exemplify the program’s ongoing responsiveness and flexibility, and receptivity to concepts and flight experience.
A testament to the popularity of the F-15EX is that it has been taken up by the Air National Guard. The Portland, Ore.-based 142nd Wing was the first operational squadron so outfitted—a first with a next-generation fighter landing on Guardsmen before active-duty ones. Nineteen are headed to Portland, others to Fresno, Calif., and New Orleans, La. Local officials refer to the F-15EX as a game-changer, not only in the country but also in readiness.
Underneath its bonnet, however, the F-15EX is a beast. It is driven by two F110-GE-129 engines and lifts into the air at a staggering pace of up to Mach 2.5, the world’s fastest and combat-ready fighter planes. Its firepower is not lagging either: the plane has 12 air-to-air missiles and shoots hypersonic missiles up to 22 feet. With. With the APG-82(V)1 AESA radar, pilots can counterattack several aircraft simultaneously and counterattack at the appropriate time in heavy combat missions.
There are always some problems, primarily the budget. The FY25 defense budget, for instance, procured only 18 F-15EXs and 42 F-35As—short of the desired number. These limitations determine how high the older planes can be replaced and when the new ones can be made available.
All that notwithstanding, F-15EX is America’s airpower future backbone. It occupies capability niches in between stealth fighters such as the F-35, possesses a wide range of missions, and can be equipped with new technology at light speed. Boeing has referred to it as the backbone of tactical airpower tomorrow—and they’re not wrong for doing that.
And with each new F-15EX added to the fleet comes added technology, increased payload capacity, and increased continuation of America’s tradition of air superiority. The Eagle II is more weapon and less statement, but as a statement that America’s gonna remain ahead of the pack in the skies and ready for whatever the future holds.