GOP leaders are pushing to bring defense spending to greater than $1 trillion for the first time in U.S. history.
The F-15EX fighter is a big recipient of the whopping $150 billion reconciliation bill Republican leaders put forth last week. In the proposed legislation, GOP leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services Committee are pushing to bring defense spending to greater than $1 trillion for the first time in U.S. history. As part of this bill, $7.2 billion is set aside for tactical aircraft procurement and modernization specifically. Notably, the fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II is not recognized for additional funding in the proposed legislation. The F-15EX II, the upcoming next-generation F-47 platform, and Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCAs) would stand to receive the vast majority of additional resources provided by the reconciliation bill.
An Overview of the F-15 Eagle
For decades, the American-made F-15 Eagle platform has remained the Air Force’s air superiority platform. Renowned for its 104-0 combat record, the Eagle’s popularity among aviation enthusiasts and military experts makes sense. In fact, when it comes to speed and ordnance power, the F-15 still holds its own even when compared to its F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II successors.
The F-15EX Eagle II is the latest iteration of the Eagle to reach operational capacity with the service. The Eagle II program was initially approved under the National Defense Authorization Act for the 2020 fiscal year in 2019. In the same year, manufacturer Boeing was awarded a $1.2 billion contract to construct the first batch of Eagle II fighters. From avionics and sensors to weapons load and versatility, this variant certainly retains an edge over even its most modern near peers. The Eagle II is considered to be a 4.5-generation fighter, meaning it features the stealth, reduced radar cross-section, enhanced avionics, and other advanced attributes required to give it this coveted designation.
As mentioned earlier, the newest Eagle II iteration is speedy and agile. Equipped with a pair of General Electric F100-PW-229 turbofans with afterburners, the jet is capable of flying at speeds in excess of Mach 2.25 (times the speed of sound) over a range of roughly 1,900 miles. But perhaps where the Eagle II really shines is in the armament arena. The formidable fighter has already broken records in terms of tonnage and quantity of ordnance carried. Last year, the Eagle II was successfully able to lug and launch up to a dozen air-to-air missiles. Additionally, the new F-15 variant is able to carry up to 13,300 kilograms of ordnance, which is more than previously documented. In addition to this impressive weapons load, the Eagle II is decked out with upgraded cockpit and crews are provided with Digital Helmet Mounted Cueing Systems (D-JHMCS).
Earlier in the year, the Air Force had planned to procure 104 F-15EX Eagle II fighters. While this number was later reduced to ninety-eight, the fleet could see an expansion of the reconciliation bill is given the green light. Considering the Eagle II’s impressive specs and capabilities, its prioritization is well-earned.
About the Author: Maya Carlin
Maya Carlin, National Security Writer with The National Interest, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has by-lines in many publications, including The National Interest, Jerusalem Post, and Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin. Carlin has over 1,000 articles published over the last several years on various defense issues.
Image: DVIDS.
