The US Air Force expects to receive the first operational F-15E Strike Eagle upgraded with an advanced electronic warfare system this summer.
In a statement to Defense News on Thursday, Air Force spokesman Maj. Alli Stormer said eight Boeing F-15E aircraft are undergoing modifications with the Eagle Passive Active Warning Survivability System, or EPAWSS. The work is being done at the company's facility in San Antonio, Texas, the agency said.
EPAWSS will come standard on F-15EX Eagle II fighters, also made by Boeing, and will be added to some F-15Es. BAE Systems, which makes the EPAWSS, said the technology would enable these F-15s to track, jam and deceive threats in highly contested environments as well as provide radar warning, geolocation, situational awareness and self-defense capabilities with an array of sensors, electronic countermeasures and algorithms.
The delivery of the first F-15Es with upgraded electronic warfare capabilities would mark a major step forward in the Air Force's effort to modernize these fourth-generation aircraft and prepare them for a potential war against an advanced adversary such as China.
Boeing began installing EPAWSS on operational F-15Es in San Antonio in July 2022, the Air Force said in a statement earlier that year. Boeing also awarded BAE a contract in September 2022 to produce the second batch of EPAWSS for new F-15EXs and 43 F-15Es there were already in service. The Air Force now has approximately 218 F-15E aircraft.
BAE said earlier this month that EPAWSS had recently completed its initial phase of operational testing and evaluation.
In Thursday's email, the Air Force said the Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center and the Pentagon's Office of the Director, Operational Test and Evaluation will deliver their final reports on this phase of EPAWSS by the end of June.
The Air Force also said the engineering and manufacturing development phase of EPAWSS is nearly complete, and the service expects to deliver final hardware units representing production this fiscal year. The Air Force expects to award a contract for full production of the EPAWSS by the end of 2024.
BAE declined to comment and referred questions to the Air Force.
Stephen Losey is the air warfare reporter for Defense News. He previously covered leadership and personnel issues for Air Force Times and the Pentagon, special operations and air warfare for Military.com. He has traveled to the Middle East to cover US Air Force operations.
