On June 6, Boeing delivered the first operational F-15EX “Eagle II” to the U.S. Air National Guard, the seventh aircraft delivered to the U.S. Air Force (USAF).
The first of the new F-15EX Eagle fighters arrived Wednesday at Portland Air National Guard Base, Oregon, to join the 142nd Wing. The new F-15EXs will replace the older F-15C models, which were contracted in the 1980s.
The EX has arrived in Portland! We’re immensely excited & proud to serve Oregon and protect the PNW. We are honored that the @usairforce has recognized that the 142nd Wing has what it takes to be the first to defend our nation with the @BoeingDefense F-15EX Eagle II. #EXcited pic.twitter.com/wqt7H5A19s
— 142nd Wing (@142ndWG) June 6, 2024
Boeing has the eighth F-15EX nearly ready for delivery, also to Portland’s 142nd Wing. The previous six F-15EXs have their home at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, where the USAF uses them for operational and developmental testing.
The primary mission of the USAF’s F-15EX fleet will be defensive and offensive air-to-air operations, with capabilities far superior to the F-15C/Ds they will replace.
Digital Eagle
The F-15EX “Eagle II” is the most advanced version, to date, of this legendary fighter. Unlike older versions of the F-15 operational in the USAF, the EX variant is a digital eagle.
It has fly-by-wire flight controls, a completely new digital cockpit equipped with large digital displays, a modern and powerful AN/APG-82 AESA electronic scanning radar and features the Eagle Passive / Active Warning and Survivability System electronic warfare system to improve mission effectiveness and operator survivability. It also integrates the ADCP-II mission computer, the fastest in the world.
Powered by a pair of General Electric F110-GE-129 engines, the F-15EX incorporates two additional wing stations for weapons and pods, and has an expected service life of 20,000 flight hours, so the new Eagles are expected to share the stage with fifth- and sixth-generation fighters for many years to come.
