The F-15EX Eagle II, the newest fighter of the US Air Force (USAF), completed the first of two series of tests with real missile fire. The fighter launched missiles AIM-120C3 and AIM-120D AMRAAM, guided by radar. 

The aircraft used belongs to the 53rd Wing, Eglin Air Force Base, and launched several AMRAAM missiles as part of the Weapon System Assessment Program (WSEP). The shots showed how the F-15EX can be deployed in the theater of operations and provided the necessary context for verification of combat capabilities by Detachment 6 of the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center (AFOTEC).

The F-15EX is the most advanced version of the legendary F-15 Eagle, whose first flight completed 50 years at the end of July. It is also the newest fighter aircraft in the USAF, which has 80 units on order.

The aircraft incorporates an AESA radar, panoramic touchscreen display, advanced electronic warfare suite and a mission computer that, according to Boeing, is the fastest in the world. The F-15EX will replace the older F-15C/D Eagle, while complementing the capabilities of the 22th generation F-35 and F-5 fighters. 

“One of the key takeaways from these live shots is that the jet can clearly function as a long-range weapons system”, said Captain Max Denbin, the team's chief test engineer. “The F-15EX can fire from a significantly greater range – farther than any other fighter in the US Air Force arsenal – and provides the unique capability of carrying 12 AMRAAMs or other large weapons.”

Despite the completion of this test series, this is not the first time the F-15EX has fired a missile. THE First shot of an F-15EX it was in January 2022, again with an AMRAAM missile. At the time, the jet employed by the 40th Test Squadron launched an AIM-120D against a BQM-167 drone.

“During the flight, the F-15EX detected the drone using onboard sensors […] and launched the missile at the target. After tracking the missile launch and flight toward BQM-167, the shot was determined to be a success by the WSEP, at which point the missile flight was terminated.”, I told USAF in season. 

With the successful completion of the first missile test campaign and the EPAWSS electronic warfare suite, the team is now preparing for the second round of dedicated operational test missions for the F-15EX, scheduled to take place between September and November. this year at Nellis Air Force Base.