The U.S. Air Force plans to replace the F-15s with the F-15EX fighter jet in Okinawa to protect Japan and act as a strong deterrent against Chinese belligerence in the Indo-Pacific region.
On July 3, 2024, the United States Department of Defense announced a modernization plan involving a massive restructuring of U.S. fighter jets’ presence in Japan to counter the growing threat of an increasingly assertive China.
As reported earlier by the EurAsian Times, the plan involves replacing older American F-16s and F-15s with the more advanced F-15EX and F-35 fighters.
As per the latest announcement, the United States Air Force (USAF) will send 36 F-15EXs to replace 48 F-15s at the Kadena Air Base in Okinawa. In addition, it will significantly bolster defenses at the Misawa Air Base by replacing 36 F-16s with 48 F-35A aircraft.
This year, the U.S. has further strengthened its no-nonsense approach towards protecting Japan by stationing its fifth-generation, state-of-the-art F-22s at the Kadena Air Base in Japan.
The Marine Corps Station at Iwakuni will also undergo significant changes, the most significant of which is a change in the number of F-35Bs. Over $10 billion will be spent on a multi-year effort to maintain a strong deterrent against Chinese aggression in the Indo-Pacific, improve military cooperation between the United States and Japan, and ensure regional security and transparency.
The bolstering of the Okinawa airbase with more advanced F-15EXs will enhance security at the strategic airbase, described as the “Keystone to the Pacific” and the closest U.S. military base to Taiwan.
This change prompts consideration of the distinctions between an F-15 and an F-15EX and what sets them apart.
Fastest Fighter Jets In The World
The F-15 EX or Eagle II is an all-weather, extremely maneuverable, tactical fighter designed to gain and maintain air dominance over the battlefield.
The F-15EX is the latest version delivered to the USAF as recently as 2021. As per the USAF, the speed of an F-15 is Mach 2 or 1875 mph. On the other hand, the F-15EX can touch a top speed of 2.9 Mach when operated at full throttle.
In a statement at the Singapore Airshow in February 2024, Boeing’s Business Development Director Robert Novotny stated that the “not-to-exceed” speed limit of the fighter jet is about 2.9 Mach or 2225 mph. However, the speed was achieved without external fuel tanks or weapons.
Novotny told Aviation Weekly, “Remember, we’re testing when it’s clean.” “So, it’s not carrying a bunch of stuff on it. And in that airshow configuration, with the two big G.E. [F110-GE-]229 engines, it’s putting out 29,500 pounds of thrust per side.”
Despite this, the F-15EX is way quicker than the base F-15. According to the USAF, the F-15EX is much faster than the fifth-generation F-35A Lightning II at Mach 1.6. This capability will allow it to patrol a large region during homeland security patrols and escape hostile territory during combat missions. The rapid advancement of air defense capabilities in China and Russia makes the second option important.
Simply put, the F-15EX is the fastest fighter jet in the world today. It can also play a host of other roles, such as air superiority, interceptor, deep penetration strikes on enemy infrastructure, strategic bombing, and ground attack.
Massive Payload Capacity
As per Boeing, the F-15EX offers a massive payload capacity of 29500 lbs (13,300 kgs), including outsized weapons. Additionally, it can carry 12 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) missiles.
This payload capacity is greater than any F-15 model. As reported by the EurAsian Times in January 2023, the F-15EX completed a missile test that brought the fighter jet closer to carrying the highest number of air-to-air missiles than other fighters in the USAF, including the F-16, F-22, and F-35 fighter jets.
According to the USAF, the F-15 aircraft could carry eight air-to-air missiles, while the EX variant adds four more missiles at the wing tips.
The Eagle-2 is also slated to become the first American fighter jet to carry a Hypersonic Missile. When the USAF officially accepted the delivery of the first F-15EX, a senior military official, Colonel Dorey, the Air Force’s F-15EX Program Manager, projected the warplane as ideal for firing hypersonic missiles.
The employment of these weapons is a major step in demonstrating the Eagle II aircraft’s missile capacity of 12 air-to-air missiles. Boeing has pointed out that it has a greater combat range than any fighter jet in the USAF’s fleet. The F-15EX is an excellent aircraft with a larger payload capacity than the F-15 and the fifth-generation F-22 and F-35.
Other Improvements
In December 2023, Lt. Colonel Christopher Wee, the Operational Flight Program Combined Test Force commander, stated that the plane “met every challenge we’ve thrown at it” and is “on the cusp of being ready for the warfighter.”
The F-15EX’s performance has been so impressive that the USAF intends to purchase 144 after an initial order of eight. The interest in these planes can be attributed to the massive upgrades it has seen from its base F-15 model.
The F-15EX has a better processor, an upgraded fly-by-wire system, and a more advanced electronic warfare suite than the standard F-15. FBW is a computer-controlled, semi-automatic aircraft flight control system (FCS) that replaces mechanical flying controls with electronic interfaces. The plane has an Open Missions System (OMS), which enables quick integration of new technologies, extending the plane’s relevance and lifespan for many years.
It also enhances interoperability with other fifth-generation fighters like the F-22 and the F-35 of the USAF during combat operations. It also comes with a new Electronic Warfare (E.W.) system, advanced Large Area Display (LAD) cockpit systems, the latest sensors, APG-82 AESA radars, Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS), and the Eagle Passive Active Warning Survivability System (EPAWSS) self-defensive suite and modern electronics and software.
The latest LAD cockpit with a touchscreen interface enhances mission efficiency and performance by minimizing switches and controls, allowing quicker responses in emergency combat situations. The APG-82 (V)1 AESA radar can detect, identify, and track the movement of several air and surface targets at longer ranges than earlier.
The longer standoff range facilitates persistent target observation and information sharing for advanced decision-making. This superior battlespace awareness supports greater tactical mission capability, resulting in greater aircraft effectiveness and survivability.
The JHMCS system enables the pilot to accurately direct onboard weapons and sensors toward enemy aircraft and ground targets without the necessity of making sudden maneuvers or seeing the target in the Head-Up-Display (HUD) for identification.
The fully digital EPAWSS equips the F-15 with integrated radar warning, geolocation, situational awareness, and self-protection solutions for detecting and defeating surface and airborne legacy, and current and future threats in hostile environments.
Enhanced radio frequency and electronic countermeasures further improve the system’s capabilities, allowing greater penetration against modern air defense systems. All these upgrades and advancements have made the F-15EX a completely different fighter than the F-15.
- Via: E.T. Digital Desk
- Mail us at: editor (at) eurasiantimes.com
