McDonnell Douglas/Boeing F-15 Eagle/Strike Eagle/Silent Eagle - discussione ufficiale

[TT-1 Pinto]

Un carico veramente ... "pesante" ...

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The 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron successfully flew an F-15E Strike Eagle carrying six JDAMs on a single side of the aircraft on Feb 22, 2021, showcasing a proof of concept for Agile Combat Employment, known as “ACE.”
 “Currently the F-15E is authorized to carry a max of nine JDAMs, but the success of this test expands that to 15 JDAMs,” said Maj. Andrew Swanson, F-15E Weapons System Officer, 85th TES.
 “Strike Eagle can now carry enough JDAMs for an active combat mission, land at a remote location, and reload itself and/or another aircraft – such as an F-35 or F-22 – for additional combat sorties,” said Lt. Col. Jacob Lindaman, commander, 85th TES.

 ... 53rdwing.af.mil ... https://www.53rdwing.af.mil/News/Article/2520577/strike-eagle-proven-capable-of-carrying-15-jdams-on-single-sortie/ ...

[TT-1 Pinto]

L' Air Force ha ricevuto il suo primo F-15EX ...

... af.mil/News ... https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2534008/air-force-receives-first-f-15ex/ ...

Anche qui ... defensenews.com ... https://www.defensenews.com/air/2021/03/11/the-air-force-has-its-first-f-15ex/ ...

[TT-1 Pinto]

Uno sforzo di fantasia "Eccezzziunale ... veramente" ...

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The Air Force’s newest fighter jet has a name: F-15EX Eagle II. 
The service unveiled the name of the jet during an April 7 ceremony at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.
The Air National Guard will be the first to receive the new jet operationally. 
ANG Director Lt. Gen. Michael A. Loh said during the ceremony the F-15EX’s improvements will be key to its mission of homeland defense.
“The Air National Guard flies 93 percent of homeland defense missions, and along with the F-35A, the F-15EX will help ensure that legacy for many decades to come,” he said.

 ... airforcemag.com ... https://www.airforcemag.com/f-15ex-named-the-eagle-ii/ ...

Anche qui ... defensenews.com ... https://www.defensenews.com/air/2021/04/07/the-f-15ex-has-a-new-name/ ...

[TT-1 Pinto]

"That's Disappointing" ... 
Non a tutti piace la designazione assegnata all'ultima versione dello F-15 ...

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The Air Force could have chosen a better derivative of “Eagle,” just as the multi-role version of the F-15, the F-15E, was named “Strike Eagle.” 
But if we want to stick with the “Eagle” name, which is fair, our options are limited.
“Bald Eagle” is the national bird, but the inclusion of “bald” in the name of a fighter jet ... isn’t a great mix. 
“Miracle Eagle,” meanwhile, sounds like a brand of mayonnaise made with eagle eggs. 
The Air Force already used “Golden Eagle” in the 2010s to upgrade F-15Cs. 
And the “Harpy Eagle” is a terrifying bird, though it is native to Central and South America.
So how about “Super Eagle?” 
That would have been great and a superior alternative to the Eagle II. 
The F-15EX is undeniably a “super” version of the F-15, and “Super” is also used in Superman, Super Bowl, and Super Burritos. 
It’s simple, it’s easy, it gets the point across, and it has lots of positive connections across popular culture.
Would a kid excitedly shout, “I want to fly the Super Eagle!”?
Yes, yes, I think she would.

... popularmechanics.com ... https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/weapons/a36052186/air-force-new-f15-ex-eagle-fighter-named-eagle-ii/ ...

[Flaggy]

Il Phantom e il Phantom II c’era un abisso, come tra tutte le altre coppie di velivoli (Lightning incluso) in cui si è riciclato un nome aggiungendo “II” a quello del precedente. Magari si è cercato un poco felice escamotage per far dimenticare il fatto che l’F-15EX è sempre un F-15, la cui idea ha più di mezzo secolo...Chissà come lo chiameranno nel Qatar, dove hanno preso praticamente lo stesso aereo, quando ancora era un Eagle e basta...

[Signs_of_Life]

Non credo che la designazione attecchirà e passerà all'uso comune, come del resto nessuno ha mai davvero usato "Fighting Falcon" per l'F-16...

[TT-1 Pinto]

Un tiro a lunga distanza ... ma non è dato sapere a quale ...

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An F-15C Eagle set a record for the longest air-to-air kill, but we won’t know what the record is.
In March, an F-15C fired an AIM-120D Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile at a BQM-167 targeting drone in the longest known air-to-air missile shot to date, resulting in a “kill” of the target from the farthest distance recorded, the 53rd Wing said in a release. 
However, the wing would not release the length of the shot, or the previous known record.

... airforcemag.com ... https://www.airforcemag.com/f-15c-records-longest-air-to-air-shot-in-test/ ...

 

[TT-1 Pinto]

F-15EX ... ed ora sono due ...

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Just five weeks after the first F-15EX Eagle II fighter jet touched down at Eglin Air Force Base - and less than two weeks after that F-15EX was officially unveiled to the public - the second of the new fighter aircraft arrived at the base.
F-15EX "002" was flown to Eglin on Tuesday by Maj. Aaron Eshkenazi, F-15EX operational test pilot with the 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron (85th TES), part of the Eglin-headquartered 53rd Wing.

... amp.nwfdailynews.com ... https://amp.nwfdailynews.com/amp/7327603002 ...

Anche qui ... airforcemag.com ... https://www.airforcemag.com/second-f-15ex-eagle-ii-delivered-to-eglin/ ...

[TT-1 Pinto]

I due F-15EX appena consegnati sono pronti a partecipare all'esercitazione Northern Edge in Alaska ... 

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Both of the Air Force’s new F-15EX Eagle II fighters will fly in the Northern Edge exercise in Alaska next week to participate in broader joint all-domain command and control experiments, 11th Air Force Commander Lt. Gen. David A. Krumm said April 28. 
The jets will also employ their new electronic warfare suites in the wargame.
“We’re bringing up F-15EX … with its capabilities, including the EPAWSS,” or Eagle Passive Active Warning Survivability System electronic warfare suite, to participate in Northern Edge 2021, Krumm said from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, during an AFA “Air and Space Warfighters in Action” streaming event.

... airforcemag.com ... https://www.airforcemag.com/brand-new-f-15ex-to-participate-in-northern-edge-exercise-jadc2-experiments/ ...

[Signs_of_Life]

Una domanda a bruciapelo, se vogliamo semplicistica o banale: questa nuova supertecnologica versione dell'Eagle, F-15EX, come si pone teoricamente, a livello di efficacia, in un confronto alla pari contro il massimo esponente dei caccia tradizionali (ossia non stealth), e cioè il Typhoon? È in grado di eguagliarlo? Addirittura di sopravanzarlo sotto certi aspetti? Oppure la sua concezione è troppo antiquata per poter essere efficace contro il più giovane avversario? 

[Flaggy]

Il Typhoon è venuto dopo ma, più che beneficiarne per portarsi avanti, ha arrancato prima e dopo col risultato che l’Eagle è da un pezzo che monta radar AESA (abbinato sull’EX a una miriade di aggeggi elettronici e a un cruscotto all’ultimo grido per gestirli al meglio) e può impiegare una discreta panopolia di armamenti, che lo rendono molto efficace anche in virtù del carico bellico e dell’autonomia consentite da un velivolo comunque più grosso dell’EF-2000 (e nell’aria-suolo penso che non ci sia partita).

Il Typhoon solo ora (con la commessa Kuwaitiana) comincia ad essere prodotto con un radar AESA, che non è certo quello ipersofisticato a cui pensano i britannici per il retrofit dei loro TR2 e TR3 (che hanno ancora il Captor a scansione meccanica).

L’EF-2000 come caccia ha dalla sua una bassa traccia radar, un armamento missilistico superiore (ma il Meteor resta comunque azzoppato se abbinato al Captor a scansione meccanica) e un’eccezionale capacità di manovra in regime supersonico, che la configurazione delta canard gli consente: basti pensare che con l’arretramento della portanza tipico del regime supersonico (che indicativamente passa dal 25 al 50% della corda), sia il piano canard che ovviamente l’ala si mantengono portanti, mentre il piano di coda dell’F-15 diviene deportante, sebbene ci sia stato comunque un miglioramento con l’installazione di un fly by wire digitale abbinato all’arretramento del baricentro (stabilità rilssata) sull’F15EX.

Sono solo alcune considerazioni: gli aerei non si misurano a chi ce l’ha più lungo, ma un’eventuale analisi implica tanti aspetti riservati o semplicemente meno evidenti, che è difficile valutare per dare un giudizio complessivo.

Modificato 5 Maggio 2021 da Flaggy

[Signs_of_Life]

Ti ringrazio Flaggy. La questione cui accenni nel penultimo capoverso, relativa al diverso comportamento delle superfici mobili in relazione al naturale aretramento della portanza in supersonico, è estremamente interessante. L'F-22 avendo una configurazione tradizionale come l'F-15 soffre della medesima limitazione rispetto ai canard? 

[Flaggy]

Necessariamente, anche se probabilmente meno perchè è un velivolo intrinsecamente molto instabile, ma gli americani (non certo a digiuno di aerodinamica canard) globalmente ritennero più vantaggiosa una configurazione tradizionale, vuoi perchè il canard è ritenuto meno stealth, vuoi perchè piani di coda tradizionali si possono muovere in maniera differenziale (integrando gli alettoni), mentre i canard è meglio operino all'unisono (ed è così sull'EF-2000) per non generare flussi d'aria asimmetrici sull'ala.

In ogni caso in subsonico tangibili vantaggi del canard non è che emergano prepotentemente...

[TT-1 Pinto]

I battistrada ...

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At its Northern Edge 21 exercises in Alaska, the US Air Force (USAF) tested the Boeing F-15 conducting an electronic attack to clear a path for a Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighter.
The test reveals how the USAF may use its legacy fleet of F-15E Strike Eagles, as well as its new F-15EX Eagle IIs, in coordination with its stealth aircraft for air strikes deep into enemy territory. 
The F-15 used the BAE Systems ALQ-250 Eagle Passive Active Warning Survivability System (EPAWSS).
The demonstration, which took place on 14 May, was done to help evaluate a tactic improvement proposal that came out of the service’s annual Weapons and Tactics Conference, the USAF said on 17 May. 
The tactic is part of an effort to minimise “the F-35’s emissions to get closer to the adversary”, the service says. 
Electronic emissions would betray the stealth aircraft’s location.

... flightglobal.com ... https://www.flightglobal.com/fixed-wing/us-air-force-tests-using-f-15s-epawss-to-clear-path-for-f-35/143828.article ...

Anche qui ... defbrief.com ... https://defbrief.com/2021/05/18/here-is-everything-the-us-air-force-tested-during-northern-edge-21/ ...

[TT-1 Pinto]

Esercitazione "Northern Edge" ... come si sono comportati i nuovi F-15EX ...

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The F-15EX both shot down some adversaries and was shot down itself during the recent Northern Edge wargame in Alaska, and work is underway to analyze the results of its first appearance in the major force exercise, according to a test pilot who participated.
Statistics such as the mission capable rates of the aircraft have not yet been tabulated, but the jets flew a combined 33 sorties during the exercise from April 28-May 14.
The two first-of-their-kind F-15EXs - being used for concurrent operational and developmental test - played in Northern Edge only two weeks after they were delivered to the Air Force. 
The goal was to see if they could play the part now met in the Combat Air Forces by the F-15C plus add some capability to that mission, according to Lt. Col. John O’Rear of the 84th Test and Evaluation Squadron.
Among the test points were how the F-15EXs could integrate with F-15Cs as well as larger forces, including fifth-generation F-22s and F-35s, O’Rear said.
“We flew them with two-ships of F-15C models, two-ships of F-15E models, … two-ships of EXs supporting other fourth-gen [flights], and integrating with the F-22 and F-35,” he said.

... airforcemag.com ... https://www.airforcemag.com/f-15ex-wins-some-loses-some-in-northern-edge/ ...

[TT-1 Pinto]

F-15EX ... primi test operativi dalle parti di Las Vegas ...

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The F-15EX Eagle ll is undergoing its first-ever operational test mission paired with F-15Cs and F-15Es at Nellis Air Force Base Oct. 18-25.
“We’ve never done full, large-scale operational tests with the F-15EX, because it’s only been in the U.S. Air Force’s hands for six months,” said Lt. Col. Kenneth Juhl, Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center F-15 tester. 
“The fact that we’re going this fast in operational test is definitely owing to the chief of staff of the Air Force’s accelerate change or lose mentality.”
There are currently two F-15EXes in existence. 
The Air Force accepted delivery of them at Eglin AFB, Florida, in March and April 2021.

 ... af.mil ... https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2821093/f-15ex-undergoes-first-operational-test-mission-at-nellis-afb/ ...

[TT-1 Pinto]

"F-15EX ?" ...
"Meglio lasciar perdere" ...

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The U.S. Air Force should abandon its plans to revive fourth-generation fighters under the F-15EX program, and instead focus on building more F-35As and new stealthy fighter jets, according to a new paper from the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies.
Former F-16 pilot Heather Penney, a senior resident fellow at the institute, said in the paper released Monday that the F-15EX Eagle II program is a dead end — one based on outdated technology that wouldn’t suit the Air Force well in a high-end fight nor save money over the F-35 program. 
She expects the stealth-less F-15EX will end up playing a limited defensive role in a war, at a time when the Air Force has a limited inventory of fighters.
“Given this reality, funding limitations and modern mission demands, the Air Force should seek the soonest reasonable termination point for the F-15EX,” Penney wrote.
The Air Force should instead shift that money to boosting F-35 production and develop another fighter jet, Penney said — one that is affordable, flexible and has stealth capability. 
This would be in addition to the highly classified Next Generation Air Dominance program that would start fielding sometime in the 2030s, to which Penney said the Air Force should commit wholeheartedly.

... defensenews.com ... https://www.defensenews.com/air/2021/10/26/mitchell-institute-ditch-f-15ex-for-more-f-35s-new-stealth-fighters/ ...

Anche qui ... airforcemag.com ... https://www.airforcemag.com/alternate-fighter-plan-mitchell/ ...

[engine]

E lo dicono adesso che la produzione è cominciata ? 

 

 

[TT-1 Pinto]

2 ore fa, engine ha scritto:

E lo dicono adesso che la produzione è cominciata ? 

Sono le opinioni e le raccomandazioni di un think tank ...

Si tratterà quindi di vedere fino a che punto possano influire sulle decisioni dell'Air Force o del MoD degli Stati Uniti ...

[TT-1 Pinto]

3 ore fa, TT-1 Pinto ha scritto:

Sono le opinioni e le raccomandazioni di un think tank ...

Si tratterà quindi di vedere fino a che punto possano influire sulle decisioni dell'Air Force o del MoD degli Stati Uniti ...

Va da sé che intendevo dire DoD ...

[TT-1 Pinto]

Nonostante le raccomandazioni del "Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies", il programma, con il contratto miliardario assegnato a General Electric, sembra procedere speditamente ...

... airforcemag.com ... https://www.airforcemag.com/ge-1-58-billion-contract-f-15ex-engines/ ...

[TT-1 Pinto]

F-15EX Eagle II ... Rapporto al Congresso ...

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On March 11, 2021, the U.S. Air Force took delivery of its first F-15EX Eagle II fighter. 
The Eagle II program is intended to deliver 144 aircraft to replace aging F-15Cs, most of which are in the Air National Guard.
The Trump Administration’s FY2020 budget proposal included a request for $1.1 billion to buy 8 F-15EX aircraft, the first procurement toward a planned initial buy of 144. 
This proposal represented a change from previous Air Force plans to procure only stealthy “fifth-generation” fighter aircraft.
The subsequent FY2021 defense budget proposal requested about $1.27 billion in procurement funding for 12 Eagle IIs and $133.5 million in advance procurement for future aircraft. 
The proposed budget also requested about $159.8 million for F-15EX research and development.

... news.usni.org ... https://news.usni.org/2021/11/04/report-to-congress-on-f-15ex-eagle-ii-fighter ...

[TT-1 Pinto]

Motori General Electric per gli F-15EX ... Pratt & Whitney da deciso di non presentare ricorso ...

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Pratt & Whitney has opted not to protest the Air Force’s sole-source contract to GE Aviation to power all the service’s F-15EX fighters, a contract worth $1.58 billion.  
GE’s contract, awarded Oct. 29, starts with 29 of its F110-GE-129 engines followed by seven option lots for a total of 329 engines, running ten years, if all the options are exercised. 
The Air Force is planning to build between 144 and 200 F-15EXs.
Pratt issued a short statement saying only that it “will not submit a protest regarding the F-15EX propulsion decision,” adding that it is “proud to continue our support of the USAF’s F-15 fleet.”

... airforcemag.com ... https://www.airforcemag.com/pratt-whitney-wont-protest-ges-win-of-f-15ex-engine-contract/ ...

[TT-1 Pinto]

F-15EX ... primo lancio di un missile AIM-120D ...

Cita

The F-15EX successfully fired its first weapon on Jan. 25, launching an AIM-120D missile at a BQM-167 unmanned aerial target over the Gulf of Mexico, the Air Force announced.
Maj. Benjamin Naumann and Maj. Mark Smith, pilots with the 40th Flight Test Squadron, flew the fighter during the test fire, as part of the 53rd Wing’s Combat Archer - an air-to-air weapons system evaluation program.
The F-15EX “detected the drone using onboard sensors, acquired a weapons-quality track, and launched the missile at the target” as part of the test, the Air Force announced in a release (*). 
The shot was then determined to be a success.

... airforcemag.com ... https://www.airforcemag.com/f-15ex-fires-first-missile-successfully/ ...

(*) ... af.mil ... https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/2917696/eagle-ii-fires-first-missile-during-live-fire-event/ ...

[TT-1 Pinto]

F-15EX ... si prospettano grossi tagli ...

Cita

The Air Force plans to divest nearly 650 aircraft over the coming five years while purchasing fewer than 250, reducing its fleet by exactly 400 tails, a pair of congressmen said during House Armed Services Committee hearings April 27. 
Those cuts would include a much-reduced buy for the F-15EX.
The F-15EX is one of the few fighters the Air Force has planned on buying in the immediate future. 
- - -   - - -   - - -
Within those overall changes that the Air Force has planned for its fleet, one of the biggest shifts scheduled to take place in the next five years is with the F-15EX Eagle II, the fourth-generation fighter meant to complement the F-35 and NGAD.
Most immediately, the 2023 budget request asks to buy 24 F-15EXs, double the 12 it requested in 2022.
But in the longer term, the Air Force’s J-books reveal that the service plans to reduce the overall buy of the EX from 144 to 80 - a 44 percent decline.
 It’s a move Air Force officials hinted at several years ago.
That combination of a bigger buy in this budget and a smaller one overall was intentional, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall told lawmakers.

... airforcemag.com ... https://www.airforcemag.com/air-force-leaders-five-year-divestment-plan-why-f-15ex-fleet-will-be-smaller/ ...

Anche qui ... thedrive.com/the-war-zone ... https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/the-f-15ex-program-is-in-trouble ...