F15SE conversion form F15E
If we were talking about the F15C yes, but in the case the SE it's based on the frame of the F15E the same engines and structure. The First Demonstrator started it's life as a E One of the options made was as a retrofit kit. Basicly you sent a E to Boeing and they swap the conformal tanks for the weapons bay/ tanks, the radar, retrofit the intakes, tail and a new paint job of RAM materials. Update the avionics and fill in all the gaps with RAM replace the sheet metal with more composites and then swap in the new fuzzy dice.
The US is committed to the F-35 program, including the largest number to the F-35A. The F-35A was never envisioned as an aircraft to replace the F-15E..
In Korea is may F-15SE may have won out, but there are good reasons for that, and there are already numerous customers for the F-35A and its price continues to drop.
The US Air Force would be well served to upgrade all of its F-15Es to F-15SEs. And that would not impact the F-35A purchase by the USAF at all. The F-35A will end up numbering 1750 or so and replace a completely different set of aircraft (F-16, A-10, and ultimately perhaps the F-15C, etc.).
Pointblank said:
The question is what did Boeing formally offer to South Korea. It may not even be a fully hypothetical F-15SE, but it may in reality, more like a enhanced F-15K because of South Korea's budgetary restrictions. It may simply be a F-15K with a upgraded radar, and conformal weapons bay.
Not to mention that South Korea will need to order a number of accessories separately to support the their F-15 purchase, such as LANTRIN and Sniper XR pods, which will need to be covered by another FMS purchase.
Actually no . F-15E is a product of 80's (based on F-15D ) , with little or no stealth shaping . Frontal RCS for X-band of clean F-15E is estimated to be between 5 and 10 sqm (some sources even say 15) . Most of the F-15Es present in USAF inventory were produced in 90's , with some examples going back to 80's . Conformal fuel tanks and weapon bays would not help F-15E to become stealthy because original clean shape is basically unstealthy (but they would help to reduce drag). Intakes and tail of course could not be retrofired as simply as you think . You would actually have to build new airframe that would support S-intakes (or radar blocker) and canted tail , not to mention nose and wing section which are not designed to scatter EM waves in F-15E .
F-15SE is supposed to be 4.5 gen fighter with frontal RCS similar to Rafale and Typhoon (0.05 - 1 sqm) , some sources even indicate that from the front RCS of F-15SE would be similar to F-35 . Current demonstrator is not telling the whole story , we will see what would final shape look like only when (and if) they make first examples for potential buyers . Btw , Boeing was careful not to mention possibility of retrofitting existing F-15s (no matter what version) to F-15SE .
since slam eagle is a variant of the F15E then in a sense they would still be buying silent eagles. The SE is not how ever hypothetical prototypes exist its just a question of development and management. As well as roles.
the strike eagle is at its heart a strike fighter. Remember when the air force called the f22a the f/a22a and then had to change it? Well for the raptor it was erroneous for the strike eagle it would be accurate. Its a strike bomber that could've been a premier air superiority fighter. F15SE turns that phrase "could've been" into "is".
Okay background established more or less. this was in the F35 thread.
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Now then In response to Thunder.
One The F15E is not a F15D with bombs it was a New Air frame enhanced with increased use of Titanium and reinforced with more powerful engines and radar. Calling it a variant of the F15D is like calling the F/A18E/F just a variant of the F18C/D.
You Try to compare it to the Eurofighter. Truth is the Euro-fighter was behind scheduled, and though innovative in that it was a first in Europe a lot of it was proven with the Eagle and Falcon.
By Contrast the SE is a Incremental update. it's a retrofit of the same type seen as the USN is working into F/A18E/F. part of a line not a totaly new aircraft but a upgrade based on massive modifications to specs of the Eagle, the vast majority of those mods happened with the F15E.
Now then First I think you are over estimating the intended RCS reduction for the SE the Stealth of the SE is targeted specifically for head on engagements. the heart of the fighter will remain the F100-PW-229 turbofan the same unit used in the latest re engines of the F16 and used in the F15E None of the Production art or concept write ups or press releases mention Serpentine shaped inlets. next. The tail section we are talking about is the rear vertical stabilizers. those stabilizers are mounted to the Fuselage IE removable when needed and replaceable, further more in the E's stabilizers they are made of Aluminum and composted well the engine housings they are mated to are titanium. with Boeing dropping them from development for whatever reason that part of our argument seems no longer needed. In addition the wings are not needed to be replaced. It's optimized for frontal RCS reduction a wing is horizontal. attachment of Bolt on sections flaring the nose into the intakes and intakes into the wings using saw tooth edges. those conformal weapons bay / tanks also help by changing the geometry of the fuselage. There internal carriage keeps enemy radar from seeing the main missile armament not just reducing Drag but also stremlining the cluttered F15E weapons load.
By far I feel the most impressive goal is the Avionics new radar flight controls and weapons controls.
