This past Tuesday (20/04) Boeing delivered the 2nd fighter of the F-15EX model to the United States Air Force (USAF), which the manufacturer declare as "Delivery on time".
The result of a collaboration between industry, the US Air Force and the Air National Guard, the F-15EX is a ready-made replacement for the F-15C that includes improvements in payload, electronics, range and speed.
The second Boeing F-15EX has already arrived at Eglin Air Force Base to begin testing with the first EX that was delivered last month (March).
The fighter will be able to carry 22 missiles with the new AMBER hanger (Advanced Missile and Bomb Ejection Rack), active electronically scanned array (AESA) APG-82 radar, missile approach warning systems (MAWS), Fly-By-Wire, engines General Electric F110-GE-129, and the AD-II, the fastest mission computer in existence.
Originally the USAF planned to replace the F-15 Eagle with the F-22A Raptor, however, production of the stealth plane ended in 2011 with only 195 fighters manufactured.
The USAF plans to have 144 F-15EX fighters, and thereby replace the current fleet of F-15C/D fighters, which already have a useful life of 37 years of service to the US Air Force.
Text: Pedro Viana/Gabriel Centeno
