Boeing intends to offer an F-15E+ "Super Eagle" to the U.S. Air Force…

A few comments clipped from an article in this week’s AvWeek.

“Boeing intends to offer an F-15E+ “Super Eagle” to the U.S. Air Force as a less-expensive gapfiller if congressional proposals to delay the Joint Strike Fighter’s production are sustained in budget negotiations this summer.

The baseline would notionally include the Raytheon APG-63(V)3 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar with air-to-ground attack software, a digital radar-warning receiver and 15 “smart stations” under the wing and conformal fuel tanks for advanced weapons. These technologies could also be retrofitted onto the existing F-15E fleet. The Air Force has 217 F-15E Strike Eagles.

USAF has 18 F-15Cs with the (V)2 radar. It wants the lighter, cheaper (V)3s on another 160 F-15Cs and its F-15E fleet.

Company officials have begun to brief some Air Force two-star officers, but have yet to get input from the leadership. Procuring as many F-22s as possible is the service’s top acquisition priority. So Boeing is not challenging funding for the Raptor. It is, however, at the ready if JSF falters or is cut by Congress.