F-15EX: The Proposed “New” Fighter for the Air Force
The F-15EX Eagle II Soaring High After Weapons System Evaluation – Earlier this month, the United States Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center Detachment 6 team members participated in two of the first developmental and operational test missile shots from the Boeing F-15EX. For the exercise, Engineers and analysts from the AFOTEC Detachment 6 F-15 division traveled to Eglin Air Force Base (AFB) and Tyndall AFB, both in Florida, to draw results from the AIM-120D and AIM-120C3 missile shots performed as part of the Weapons System Evaluation Program (WSEP) conducted by Eglin’s 53rd Wing.
These missile shots highlighted how the F-15EX can be employed in theater and provided the context needed for Detachment 6 to verify its combat capability.
“One of the main takeaways from these live fire shots is that the jet can clearly function as a long-range, standoff weapons system,” explained Capt. Max Denbin, the team’s lead test engineer. “The F-15EX can shoot from a significantly increased range – farther than any other fighter in the U.S. Air Force arsenal – and provides the unique capability of holding 12 AMRAAMs or other large ordinance.”
The Air Force has said that the long-range, standoff capability is a fundamental pillar of ensuring U.S. power projection on a global scale.
“As adversaries continue to develop combat capability, the weapons systems with standoff capability, like the EX, are going to be critical in maintaining a tactical advantage,” Denbin continued.
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