The F-15EX, America’s best 4.5-generation fighter, is still deemed “very vulnerable” to Russian anti-aircraft missiles.
America’s best 4.5-generation fighter – the F-15EX will be an easy target in the fight with equal opponents, military expert Caleb Larson of 19FortyFive magazine has commented above.
Last week, the new generation US F-15EX Eagle II heavy multirole fighter jet fired an air-to-air missile for the first time and the result was described as a resounding success.Immediately after that, the aforementioned fighter was handed over to the US Air Force, which caused a stir in the expert community. After all, in their opinion, this is the best 4.5 generation fighter at the moment.
Based on the F-15QA Advanced Eagle that Boeing Corporation developed under the order of the Qatar Air Force – the F-15EX is the most advanced version of the F-15 Eagle heavy fighter .And this is probably one of its main advantages. Because the US Air Force has the largest fleet of F-15s in the world, the transition to the new model will be extremely easy for them and will not require any additional changes.
According to Boeing, the F-15EX, while very advanced, does not require new maintenance facilities or other training methods, infrastructure modifications or even weapon integration.All units receiving the new fighter will be able to make the transition in weeks or months, not years as is the case with a fundamentally new fighter.
Not only that, but the F-15EX also has the lowest flight cost of any aircraft in its class along with extremely high fuselage strength, which together with the already described advantages make it an ideal solution for the US Air Force. At the same time, it should be noted that in fact, this 4.5-generation two-seat fighter is quite improved in performance, making it possible to carry a larger payload of bombs than its predecessor.
Also unlike the base F-15, the F-15EX boasts an Open Mission System architecture, allowing for rapid integration of the latest in aviation technologies. In other words, the new aircraft offers designers and developers a huge scope for further modernization.However, to really judge this or that aircraft just by comparing its advantages with a list of disadvantages, according to expert Caleb Larson, the F-15EX is not so “smooth”.
The main problem of the new generation fighter is the lack of stealth, which automatically makes it an easy target in combat. The F-15EX simply cannot stand up to its equals. This means that the F-15EX can only be used to escort, prevent foreign aircraft from encroaching on US air borders, or against adversaries not equipped with adequate air defence systems.
When facing an opponent with a strong air defense system (such as Russia), the F-15EX fighter simply will not be able to survive, expert Caleb Larson concludes.
