F-15EX fighter jet – designed to attack ground targets

The Israelis still need the F-15EX fighter jet. In January this year, the Israeli Ministry of Defense officially requested 25 F-15EX fighter jets from the United States, but sources claim that Israel plans to purchase up to 50 aircraft.

Focus He translated an article by Harrison Kass on why Israel wants the latest fighter jet from Boeing.

“A formal letter of request (LOR) for fighter jets has been submitted to the US government by the Israeli government,” Breaking Defense reported a few months ago. “The request letter is the first step in the foreign military sales process as quantity and price details are negotiated.

This is not Israel’s first purchase of American military equipment; Americans have equipped their Israeli allies with advanced technology for decades, including the F-15, F-16 and F-35. But never before – F-15EX.

If the deal goes through, Israel will have to wait up to five years for F-15EX deliveries to begin (most likely in 2028). But the Israelis may force the Americans to speed up the deadline.

What is known about the F-15 EX fighter jet

According to Boeing, “The F-15EX is an aircraft that will replace the F-15C with best-in-class payload, range and speed. Designed to provide valuable intelligence to the U.S. Air Force, the F-15EX will be the service’s premier fighter jet.” – not just today” but also in the next few decades.”

Frankly, Boeing’s statement is just vague company statements aimed at advertising rather than informing. However, it is important to say that the F-15EX will remain relevant for several more decades. F-15 aircraft have been in service for almost half a century. Thus, Boeing envisions the F-15 as a 100+ year platform. The fact that the Israelis are willing to purchase large quantities of F-15EX confirms that the airframe will remain relevant for a long time.

The F-15EX was developed from the F-15E Strike Eagle. The EX variant, like the E variant, is billed as an all-weather, multi-role attack fighter. The E variant was different among F-15 variants; because the E was designed for ground attack, unlike the F-15’s original mission: strictly air superiority. It is known that the F-15 was “built for the air”, meaning that the fighter jet does not have the ability to attack ground targets. The F-15 was initially designed to attack airborne targets only using air combat maneuvers (ACM), known as dogfighting.

However, in the E variant, the F-15’s airframe has been adapted to provide ground attack capabilities. The modification was a success and the EX variant built on this success.

Technical specifications of the F-15EX fighter jet

The F-15EX will have a crew of one or two (a pilot and possibly a weapons systems officer in the backseat). The maximum take-off weight of the aircraft is 36.7 tons, and the power plant uses two General Electric F110-GE-129 turbofan engines with afterburners, each with 7.78 tons of dry thrust (13.3 tons of thrust with afterburners).

The aircraft can reach a maximum speed of 2,655 km per hour, or Mach 2.5. The combat radius is 687 nautical miles. The working ceiling will reach 18,288 meters. Thanks to large and powerful turbofan engines, the F-15EX will be able to gain altitude at a speed of 250 meters per second. The aircraft fuselage is designed for extreme loads up to +9 G.

In general, the Israelis will receive a very powerful and advanced aircraft.

about the author

Harrison Cass is an advocacy columnist with more than 1,000 published articles. Harrison, a lawyer, pilot, guitarist and professional hockey player, joined the United States Air Force as a trainee pilot but was discharged for health reasons. Harrison earned a bachelor’s degree from Lake Forest College, a J.D. from the University of Oregon, and a master’s degree from New York University. He listens to the band He dokken.