One of the most important fighters of the US Air Force, which today is mainly located in the Air National Guard, the F-15 Eagle can be ordered again by the US government.
According to Bloomberg Government, the Pentagon – and not the Air Force – will include a $ 1.2 billion request in the fiscal year 2020 budget for the purchase of 12 F-15X units, an updated version of the manufactured by Boeing. The information should be officially revealed only on February 4, 2019 when the Pentagon presents the plan.
The US government’s intention is to replace the F-15C/D currently in use by the Air National Guard and would be too expensive to overhaul, as they are aircraft built in the 1970s.
Although it flew for the first time in 1972 and was the main interceptor of the USAF, the F-15 was replaced by the F-22 Raptor and more recently by the F-35. However, Boeing has upgraded the combat jet and continues to sell it abroad – Saudi Arabia, Qatar, South Korea and Singapore have purchased the newer versions of the fighter.
Today there are at least 235 F-15C/D units in service in the US and the fighter still has admired characteristics among the pilots. It is faster and more capable than an F-35, for example, although it has no stealth capability.
The F-15X must receive new avionics and weapon systems that will make the fighter capable of meeting the requirements of the United States Air Force. Boeing, which took over the jet after incorporating McDonnell Douglas, did not comment.
