US Air Force Officially Accepts First Boeing F-15EX Written 12 March 2021
Maiden flight of the U.S. Air Force's F-15EX, February 2, 2021.| Credit: Boeing/Eric Shindelbower; USAF; Public Domain
FlightGlobal reports that on Wednesday, the US Air Force officially accepted the first F-15EX fighter at The Boeing Company’s St. Louis production facility. The Air Force’s “choice to acquire the F-15EX is controversial as the fourth-generation fighter lacks the low radar cross-section of the service’s former favourite jet, the Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighter.” The Air Force “justified its decision by pointing to the F-15EX’s lower operating costs and the ease with which units flying the F-15C/D can transition into the upgraded variant.” The service “also says it intends to field large, long-range hypersonic missiles on the jet.” The service “plans to acquire 144 examples of the combat aircraft to replace its aging fleet of McDonnell Douglas F-15C/D models, which it says on average are 37 years old and reaching the end of useful life.”
Full Story (FlightGlobal)