Boeing unveils Silent Eagle

A new version of the F-15 Eagle combat aircraft, incorporating some stealth features, has been unveiled by Boeing Integrated Defense Systems.

Designated the F-15 Silent Eagle (F-15SE), the new aircraft features outward-canted tail fins (similar to the F/A-18 Hornet) and conformal fuel tanks (CFTs) that can alternatively be converted into internal weapon bays to reduce the aircraft's radar cross section (RCS).

Designed primarily for the international market, Boeing hopes that the new F-15SE will appeal to customers who were planning to procure the Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) but are currently deterred by its rising costs and lack of flexibility, as well as international customers who are unable to procure the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor air superiority fighter, which is banned from being exported by US law.

"We have discussed this new concept with all of our current F-15 customers," Brad Jones, Boeing's F-15 Future Fighter Program manager, told Jane's . "All of them wanted a certain degree of stealth and increased survivability but all were concerned about the trade-offs in acquiring a fifth-generation stealth fighter."

The new F-15 features two CFTs that could be converted into internal weapon bays and store air-to-air missiles - such as the short-range AIM-9 Sidewinder and medium-range AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) - or air-to-ground munitions - such as Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs) or Small Diameter Bombs (SDBs).