Last November 29, the U.S. Air Force’s new Boeing F-15EX Eagle II conducted its first successful missile launch from the two new weapons stations that are part of the fighter’s upgrades, Max Hauptman reports in Task & Purpose.

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The F-15EX is a ready-now replacement for the F-15C/D that includes best-in-class payload, range and speed  (Picture source: Boeing)

During the test, conducted on Nov. 29, 2022, at the Eglin Test and Training Complex, two F-15EX fighters fired an AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) and an AIM-9X Sidewinder missile from the jet’s new weapons stations, Max Hauptman reports. The two new weapons stations allow the F-15EX to carry up to 12 air-to-air missiles, which means four more than the F-15C/D Eagle.

During the test conducted on November 29, 2022, at the Eglin Test and Training Complex, two F-15EXs fired an AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM) and an AIM-9X Sidewinder missile  (Picture source: Boeing)

The F-15EX is a ready-now replacement for the F-15C/D that includes best-in-class payload, range and speed. It will be a backbone fighter for the service – not just today, but for the next several decades. Boeing engineers created hundreds of digital aircraft before cutting any metal and flew thousands of hours before our first test flight. The result is an aircraft with a digital backbone, open system architecture and the capacity to carry hypersonic weapons, making it a key element of the U.S. Air Force’s tactical fighter fleet.

Development of the F-15EX was first announced in 2018, with the Air Force granting a $1.2 billion contract for eight aircraft in 2020, Max Hauptman recalls. It took its first flight in February 2021. The Eagle II conducted its first successful missile launch in January 2022, when one of the test aircraft from the 40th Flight Test Squadron at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida fired an AIM-120D missile at a BQM-167 aerial target drone.

The F-15EX contains numerous upgrades with new electronic warfare system, radar, and fly-by-wire controls. It also significantly upgrades the amount of ordnance the aircraft can carry with the addition of the two new weapons mounts located toward the wing tips. This allows the aircraft to carry up to four additional air-to-air missiles — 12 in total — such as the AIM-120D which has an estimated range of 75 miles, maybe up to 100 miles.

The F-15EX contains numerous upgrades with new electronic warfare system, radar, and fly-by-wire controls  (Picture source: Boeing)