The F-15EX Eagle II: How and Why the F-15 Got Unbelievably Good

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By the time the F-15EX is retired, ideally, the first warp-powered Starships will be coming online.

By the time it's retired...the B-52 will be getting another upgrade. Grandpa BUFF will never die

The people saying all aircraft need to be stealth are still thinking like it's the 90's. Our military is heavily networked. You don't need a stealth plane that can internally carry 22 AMRAMs to maintain stealth. You need something that can stealthily locate and identify a target and provide telemetry for a firing solution that your "missile truck" can then use to fire from what would normally be an absurd distance to try to get a firing solution. 35 is eyes, 15EX is the fist in this scenario and at a fraction of the cost and with no meaningful increase in logistics and maintenance. 15EX is a great idea. You can still use the 22s and 35s as needed but it's worth remembering that in a situation where something is externally mounted on one of those planes, it's not stealthy anymore. 22s and 35s have teeth, just not very many of them. A good missile truck is the solution.

It's designed to work hand in hand with the F-35. The F-35 is a flying computer able to now share it's data with the F-15EX. The F-15EX can carry up to 20 LRAAM's that once fired can be handed off to the F-35 for final targeting if needed. Another scenario is the F-35 cleans out the AA missile defense leaving a hole the F-15EX can exploit with it's massive bomb loads.

I work on a military base which has housed and worked with the 15s for years. I have seen these EX in person and watched as they stress them. It is impressive.

104 and 0 look out below took out a satellite just for show

Most countries would dream about having an Air Force with a squadron or two with F-15EX's or comparable fighters. The fact that the United States are planning on equipping national guards in each states, rather than the Air Force itself, with the F-15EXs shows just how much firepower the United States has in terms of air power.

Youtube showing me this the second it drops. Hell yeah

Another couple of issues showed up over the past 10 years. Russia, China,and other countries were routinely encroaching upon US airspace. We would send up an F-35 or maybe even an F-22 and the encounter gave the other country the ability to test their radar and other detection systems. Also, the F-35 was not capable of carrying some of the newest and largest missiles and bombs, and the F-22 was not an ideal choice because external weapons nearly negated the stealth capability. So, the logical thing was to modernize the F-15, thereby saving money by not having to develop a new platform, speeding up the procurement process,and helping save hours on our stealth fighters. Also, they had an issue with a Russian fighter that we dispatched an F-22 to intercept. The Russians couldn't see it until the last minute, and they had a closer than comfortable encounter. With the F-15EX, the adversary can see it but will also know it carries a big stick. Hopefully, this acts a deterrent against stupidly staged theatrics.

My Father worked at McDonnell Douglas and on the F-15 from the beginning. In the early 80s he worked on the F-15 in Saudi Arabia, laying the groundwork for the SA version that became the EX. He would be very proud that the plane he started working on in the late 1960s will be around until 2100. Wow.

16:33 The F-15 is a second wave aircraft. It follows the stealth bombers in and cleans up anything in the air and the systems left on the ground. 22-24 hard points is a lot of clean up ability.

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With the United State's focus on Stealth across the board, imagine the terror of knowing US aircraft are operating in the area and that you actually SAW one on radar. That means it doesn't care if you see it, which is in and of itself, terrifying.

I fell in love with this plane the first time I read about it. I see the possibility of it also featuring an unmanned version, and perhaps mini-me versions in the form of wingman drones. Not knocking the F-16, F-22 or the F-35. I see them as all part of a team, and perhaps may be required one day to defend our own shores from increasingly dangerous adversaries.

and these things are LOUD. They take off from Portland, and you can hear them from inside other commercial planes, or across town inside offices. Everyone knows when some pilot somewhere in the northwest did something they weren't supposed to, cause when these eagles deploy, there's no attempt to hide it. It's pretty surreal to see them go full vertical over the river and disappear into the clouds just as the sound wave hits.

My favorite 9G jet. Always loved the Eagle. Something about two big honkin engines, a 50’000ft/min ROC with a 60,000’ msl service ceiling, and a MMO of M2.5. Got to love it.

F15 has always been my favorite aircraft. The new EX is honestly the most dangerous thing in the air

This just goes to show how great of a design the original 1970’s F-15 was. What an absolute masterpiece of aeronautical engineering and design.

A decade ago I spent a few years building F-15SA’s on the assembly line in St. Louis (you can even see my old work station @ 6:43), I can say the pride taken in the quality of work there is incredible. I can’t speak for the guys building commercial aircraft in the northwest, but the military aircraft operations in STL are second to none. Ten years later I have changed career paths and grown a lot professionally, but I still have dreams about working on that line.