The F-15EX is designed to supplement the F-35A. Even though, unlike the F-35A, the F-15EX will not be capable of stealth. it will be capable of carrying a much heavier load of weapons, up to 30,000 pounds, whereas the F-35 has to carry its weapons in an internal bay to maintain its radar stealth profile, which limits its load to only 5700 pounds, although it can carry a heavier load if underwing mounting points are used, which unfortunately spoils the stealth capability of the F-35. The F-15EX will be able to carry up to 22 air-to-air missiles. Even though the F-15EX will probably not be survivable against future modern air defences, it can serve in other roles such as homeland and airbase defences, enforcing no-fly zones, operations against zones with limited or no air defences, and delivering standoff weapons.
In this image, two of the first operational F-15EX Eagle II aircraft (serial numbers 20-0001 and 20-0002) fly above the clouds, each configured with different armament. F-15EX 20-0001 is configured with a strike package including 12 Mk 82 bombs, two AIM-120D AMRAAMs, two AIM-9X Sidewinders, and two AGM-88 HARMs. F-15EX 20-0002 is configured for air superiority, carrying the full (and hypothetical) “AMRAAM Truck” 12 AIM-120 AMRAAM missile load. The air superiority configuration drops the AN/AAQ-13 navigation and AN/AAQ-14 targeting pods but carries an ALQ-99 high and low-band tactical jamming pod. The first Eagle IIs will fly for the 40th Flight Test Squadron (FTS) and the 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron (TES) at Eglin AFB.
Posted by Kurt’s MOCs on 2022-06-11 01:32:39
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