USAF's Increased F-15 Buy An Opportunity To Explore New Capabilities

The U.S. Air Force's decision to increase its F-15EX procurement provides an opportunity to incorporate additional capability upgrades into the new-build aircraft, according to Aviation Week analysis. The expanded buy offers the service leverage to invest in enhanced avionics, weapon carriage, electronic warfare and sensor integration beyond the baseline configuration, potentially accelerating the introduction of technologies otherwise planned for later block improvements. The F-15EX's large payload capacity and open mission system architecture make it a flexible platform for hosting new capabilities alongside the stealthy F-35 in the mixed fleet strategy.