Boeing flies first F-15EX for USAF

Boeing conducted the maiden flight of the F-15EX Advanced Eagle combat aircraft for the US Air Force (USAF) on 2 February.

The 90-minute sortie out of St Louis Lambert International Airport in Missouri saw the test pilot check out the aircraft’s avionics, advanced systems, and software.

“A test team monitoring the data collected during the flight in real time confirmed that the aircraft performed as planned,” Boeing said.

The milestone came some seven months after the USAF contracted Boeing in July 2020 to deliver the first batch of eight F-15EX aircraft. This maiden flight now paves the way for the first two aircraft to be delivered to the service later this quarter, ahead of the remaining six being handed over by the end of 2023.

The USAF is procuring the F-15EX to replace the oldest F-15C/D fighters in its inventory, some of which date back to 1979. With an initial eight aircraft approved in the fiscal year (FY) 2020 budget and subsequently contracted, a further 12 were requested in the FY21 budget. The USAF plans to purchase a total of 76 F-15EX aircraft over the five-year Future Years Defense Program (FYDP). Previously disclosed future plans have called for as many as 144 aircraft, while the latest number is set at 200.