Why did the United States spend a lot of money on the F-15EX?Is the 4th generation aircraft more bullish than the 5th generation aircraft?
In July 2020, the U.S. military announced the ridiculous news: it was going to buy F-15EX fighters on a large scale, what was going on?Does the United States think that the 4th generation aircraft is better than the 5th generation aircraft?As soon as this news came out, people couldn't help but feel emotional.
As we all know, the fifth-generation aircraft F-35 is undoubtedly the most cutting-edge existence at present, but the United States spends a sky-high price to purchase the F-15EX, which is really incredible. This is no small matter, the total amount of this plan alone is as high as 23 billion US dollars, an average of 1$600 million, isn't that a joke?
Don't say that I'm stunned alone, many military fans have also spoken out, calling out what's wrong?There was an uproar on the Internet, and some people ridiculed: "Is the United States crazy?".”
A military commentator made a comment on social media **, which he believes may be a kind of distrust of the F-35 in the United States. "The U.S. may think that the F-35's performance is not as perfect as they claim, so it would rather buy the old F-15EX than pin all its future air supremacy on the F-35," he said. ”
In this regard, netizens also complained: "Isn't this admitting that your own products are not good?"It feels like pouring cold water on the F-35. The rhetoric was fierce, and it can be seen that this decision has caused quite a stir.
So why is the F-15EX in such a spotlight?The reason for this lies in its unique improvements. Although the F-15EX cannot be stealth, Boeing has worked the payload capacity. Don't look at it as just a fourth-generation aircraft, but it has a better payload capacity than the F-35, with many paypoints and a large payload, which is undoubtedly its biggest selling point.
It is known that the F-15EX has 23 hardpoints and can carry up to 13 tons of missiles, which is more than the Chinese H-6. Speaking of this, people can't help but sigh: "This thing is really a 'missile rack'!.""That's what makes the F-15EX unique, and the payload capability is superb.
Even more remarkable is its engine performance. Equipped with the F110-GE-129 turbofan engine, the number of parts has been reduced by half, but the overall life has been increased by 8,000 hours. Speed, ceiling height, and service life all increased, and it seemed as if overnight, the F-15EX was given a new lease of life.
In addition, it also has an advanced avionics system, using an OMS open avionics system similar to the F-35 series fighters, and the upgrade of the rear end of the avionics system has greatly improved the F-15EX's situational awareness on the battlefield.
Not only that, but the F-15EX is also equipped with an electronic warfare passive warning system developed by BAE Systems in cooperation with Boeing, which not only deals with missiles launched by fighters, but also effectively identifies anti-aircraft missiles launched by hand-held transmitters. This is reminiscent of the old saying: "If you are not afraid of a god-like enemy, you are afraid of a pig-like teammate." ”
The cockpit highlights the flexibility of the F-15EX, with two seats, one pilot is responsible for piloting, and the other is responsible for controlling the ** system, which greatly improves survivability. It seems that Lao Mei also played tricks.
In response to this series of performance improvements, netizens are also discussing. Someone sighed: "The performance improvement of this fighter is too drastic!."Someone jokingly said: "No wonder the United States is happy to spend a lot of money on importing it, it seems that it does have something extraordinary." ”
However, quite a few military experts believe that the F-15EX's versatility and adaptability are what makes it so popular. In future warfare, the role of the F-15EX will become increasingly important, not only for traditional air combat missions, but also for ground attack and electronic warfare. This undoubtedly makes the F-15EX a lethal and survivable system.
While the F-35 has an advantage in stealth performance as a fifth-generation aircraft, the F-15EX's overall performance improvements make it even better in some respects. Its flexibility and adaptability make it a formidable fighter that can handle a wide range of scenarios.
For a while, people can't help but wonder, is it that our blind worship of the fifth-generation aircraft has made us lose our minds?Does the appearance of the F-15EX remind us not to ignore those classic fourth-generation models?
As a military fan, I can't help but be in awe when I see the F-15EX's improved performance. Maybe the fifth-generation aircraft are not invincible, or maybe we need to re-examine the strength of those old fourth-generation aircraft.
In general, the popularity of the F-15EX is indeed somewhat unexpected. But it is precisely this unexpected performance and new tactical concept that makes this fourth-generation aircraft stand out in the hearts of military fans. Perhaps, in future wars, we can still see it spread its wings on the battlefield and become a sharp blade to balance the opponent.