F-15 Eagle

[vikingman]

En tråd om McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle och McDonnell Douglas/Boeing F-15E Strike Eagle.

[vikingman]

 Efter 40 år så lämnar Kadena’s F-15C/D Okinawa, Japan. Flygplanen har blivit för gamla.

"On April 17, the top Air Force commander for the Pacific gave the aircraft a personal goodbye, as Gen. Kenneth S. Wilsbach, the head of Pacific Air Forces, took a ride in an F-15D from the 44th Fighter Squadron."

"The jets will travel to Kingsley Field Air National Guard Base, Oregon. From there, some will continue service at various ANG units across the U.S. while others will go to the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group for storage."

"The 18th Wing, originally known as the 18th Tactical Fighter Wing, received its first F-15C on Sept. 29, 1979. The 67th Tactical Fighter Squadron, “The Fighting Cocks”, was the first squadron to become fully operational with the Eagle within the Pacific Air Forces."

"Four different types of fighter aircraft from four different bases have cycled through Kadena since November 2022 to fill out the service’s requirements. The base currently hosts fourth-generation F-15E Strike Eagles and fifth-generation F-35 Lightning IIs, in addition to the remaining Eagles. Kadena’s F-15C/Ds are the last of the type in service with the Active-Duty force. It is unclear what the final footprint at Kadena will look like."

https://www.stripes.com/branches/air_force/2023-04-26/kadena-okinawa-f-25-eagles-farewell-9921882.html

https://www.airandspaceforces.com/kadena-f-15-farewell-ceremony-questions/

https://www.dvidshub.net/news/434265/team-kadena-bids-f-15-eagle-farewell-phased-withdrawal-begins

[vikingman]

Boeing has been contracted to outfit Japanese F-15 Super Interceptor fighter jets with an advanced electronic warfare system.

The Boeing-BAE Systems Eagle Passive Warning Survivability System (EPWSS) will enhance the aircraft’s survivability in contested, signal-dense environments.

According to BAE, the system’s advanced radio frequency electronic countermeasures provide rapid response capabilities and enable deeper penetration against modern integrated air defense systems.

It collects and processes electromagnetic energy to provide a 360-degree battlespace picture to the pilot, helping them detect, identify, and rapidly respond to potential threats.

The system features “broad instantaneous bandwidth and a high-speed scan capability to detect all radio frequency threat classes, including low probability of intercept and modern agile threats.”

Installation will continue until  December 2028 under the $474.5 million contract.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries license-built the Boeing F-15C/D in the 1980s as the F-15J/DJ.

https://www.thedefensepost.com/2023/09/18/japanese-f15-electronic-warfare/?expand_article=1

[vikingman]

Last year, during the 148th Defense Acquisition Program Administration meeting, South Korean military authorities ratified the fundamental strategy for the ‘F-15K Enhancement Project.’ This strategy involves replacing the aircraft’s mechanical radar with an Advanced Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar and bolstering its electronic warfare capabilities. The project, slated to run from 2024 to 2034, is estimated to require a total investment of approximately 3.46 trillion won.

The upgrade initiative will focus on three major enhancements: the installation of the AN/APG-82 radar, strengthening cockpit display functionalities, and incorporating the ‘Eagle Passive/Active Warning and Survivability System’ (EPAWS), a new electronic warfare suite.

https://defence-blog.com/south-korea-to-upgrade-its-f-15-fighter-jets/

[vikingman]

Saudi ‘Tears Apart’ F-15 Fighter’s Impeccable Reputation; Loses 2nd Air-Superiority Aircraft In One Year
 

The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Defense (MoD) announced that an F-15 fighter jet of the Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) crashed on December 7, killing the two crew members onboard.

As per details published by the Ministry, the aircraft was on a training mission when the tragedy struck. Brig. Gen. Turki al-Maliki, the Ministry’s spokesman, stated that the F-15 fighter jet accident occurred at the King Abdulaziz Air Base in Dhahran during a regular training flight.

An investigation has been launched to determine the exact cause of the crash. The spokesperson offered no further details about the tragic incident. The F-15SA is a two-seat variant of the McDonnell Douglas F-15 fighter jet, which forms the backbone of the kingdom’s fighter fleet. 

The F-15SA is derived from the two-seat F-15E Strike Eagle. It is said to be the most sophisticated F-15 version, combining elements from Singapore’s F-15SG and South Korea’s F-15K Slam Eagle.

This is the second crash of the kingdom’s F-15 this year. A Saudi F-15SA fighter jet crashed during a training exercise in July this year, killing all the crew onboard. The accident occurred close to the King Khalid Air Base in Khamis Mushait, located approximately 815 kilometers southwest of the capital, Riyadh.
 

Earlier, a Royal Saudi Air Force (RSAF) F-15S air superiority fighter crashed at the King Abdulaziz Air Base training grounds due to a technical malfunction during a routine night-time exercise in November 2022. The aircraft crew comprising two officers, safely ejected, and there were no injuries or losses on the ground.

The spate of F-15 crashes has dented the impeccable reputation of the aircraft, which is also incidentally operated by at least three countries in the Middle Eastern region alone.

Besides Saudi Arabia, Israel Air Force (IAF) and Qatar Emeri Air Force (QEAF) are the two other operators of the Strike Eagle aircraft in the region. In Asia, the two operators are US ally South Korea and Singapore.

https://www.eurasiantimes.com/saudi-tears-apart-f-15-fighters-impeccable-reputation-loses/

[AR123456789]

Är väl knappast första gången en F-15 kraschar? Det "impeccable reputation" som pratas om är väl att ingen har förlorats i luftstrid, inte att den aldrig har kraschat i olyckor.

[griffon]

6 hours ago, AR123456789 said:

Är väl knappast första gången en F-15 kraschar?

Inte ens första gången en saudisk gör det, men det kanske har fungerat bättre än det gjorde med Tornado. (De har ju det lilla problemet att de bara har en pool om 5000 personer de kan rekrytera piloter från, varav en del är spädbarn och en del ålderspensionärer.)

[vikingman]

Om F-15E Strike Eagle:s förmåga att skjuta ned drönare. De lyckades skjuta ned fler än 70 st iranska drönare vid Irans vedergällningsattack mot Israel. Detta ökar skälen att köpa in fler F-15EX Eagle II. F-15EX Eagle II med 'Amber Racks' kan bära 22 st robotar (AIM-9X and AIM-120).

https://www.twz.com/air/f-15e-strike-eagles-defense-of-israel-bolsters-the-case-for-f-15ex

[vikingman]

Israeliska Försvarsministeriet undertecknade den 7 november ett avtal om att skaffa 25 st F-15IA stridsflygplan – den israeliska varianten av den avancerade F-15EX. Affären på 5,2 miljarder dollar inkluderar 25 st F-15IA-jetplan, producerade av Boeing, med option för 25 st till. Flygplanen finansieras av USA:s militära hjälp till Israel. Enligt avtalet kommer jetplanen att levereras i omgångar om fyra till sex per år, med start 2031.

Defense Ministry signs deal to procure squadron of F-15IA fighter jets

 

[vikingman]

US Upgrades Japan’s F-15J Fighter Jets to Counter China Threats.

Japan har 199 st Mitsubishi F-15 fördelat på 155 st ensitsiga F-15J och 44 st tvåsitsiga F-15DJ. 1981 fick Japanska flygvapnet sina första F-15J/DJ.
Av dessa skall ca 70 st uppgraderas. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI), i samarbete med Boeing, kommer att utföra det mesta av arbetet lokalt i Japan. Projektet beräknas vara klart i februari 2030. Kostnaden blir 450 miljoner USD.
"The upgraded F-15Js, nicknamed "Japanese Super Interceptors," will feature cutting-edge systems, bringing them closer to the capabilities of the U.S. Air Force’s F-15EX Strike Eagle II. Key enhancements include the Raytheon APG-82(V)1 active electronically scanned array radar, an advanced mission computer, and BAE Systems’ AN/ALQ-250 Eagle Passive Warning Survivability System (EPAWSS). These technologies will deliver improved situational awareness, enhanced electronic warfare capabilities, and greater operational efficiency."
 

[vikingman]

F-15 Ride-Along Passenger Accidentally Ejects While On The Ground
 

 

[Cykelskytt]

Aviation Week augusti 11-17 har en artikel om införandet av F-15EX som en nationalgardesenhet, 142 Wing/123 Squadron "Redhawks", jobbar med. De flyger för närvarande annars F15-C. Bland reflektioner som görs:

 

Den starkare motorn ger prestanda som F-15C inte har.

 

F-15EX har ett styrsystem som är digitalt fly-by-wire, vilket F-15C inte har. Man skriver att F-15EX kan göra en 9g sväng, men piloten måste göra precis rätt och annat, som t.ex. sensorer, är högre prioriterat än kurvstridsegenskaper i den fortsatta utvecklingen av flygplanet. Man skriver också att styrsystemet kan lura dig att tro att du flyger perfekt men egentligen förlorar du höjd på ett sätt som piloten inte skulle undgå att märka i en F-15C.

 

En stor skillnad mot F-15C är att F-15EX är tvåsitsig. Nationalgardet har dock inte resurser att utveckla taktik för två personer i besättningen, utan det får tas av någon enhet i det vanliga flygvapnet.