F-15EX Eagle II

The Boeing F-15EX Eagle II is an American multirole fighter derived from the McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle. The aircraft resulted from U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) studies in 2018 to recapitalize the United States Air Force's (USAF) tactical aviation fleet that was aging due to curtailed modernization, particularly the truncated F-22 production, from post-Cold War budget cuts. The F-15EX is a variant of the F-15 Advanced Eagle, a further development of the F-15E design initially intended for export. It incorporates improved internal structure, flight control system, and avionics. The aircraft is manufactured by Boeing's St. Louis division, formerly McDonnell Douglas. It has improved survivability compared to the F-15C/D owing to the AN/ALQ-250 EPAWSS. The Advanced Eagle began with the F-15SA (Saudi Advanced) which first flew in 2013, followed by the F-15QA (Qatari Advanced) in 2020. The F-15EX had its maiden flight in 2021 and took advantage of the active export production line to reduce costs and expedite deliveries for the USAF. It entered operational service in July 2024. The F-15EX is expected to replace the remaining F-15C/D in the U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard for performing homeland and air defense missions and serves as an affordable platform for employing large stand-off weapons to augment the frontline F-22 and F-35. The Advanced Eagle in this configuration represents the current baseline in F-15 production.

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