Boeing [BA] said its approach to stealth on its Silent Eagle variant of the F-15 makes it the superior offering in South Korea’s fighter jet competition.
“We’re not ‘all in’ on stealth at the compromise of a lot of other things: range, payload, performance, stronger emitters, et cetera,” Boeing Director of F-15 Business Development Steve Winkler told reporters yesterday. “It’s definitely fair to say we think the Silent Eagle provides a more balanced approach to survivability.”
 |
| Boeing’s F-15 Silent Eagle variant (left). Photo: Boeing. |
Boeing is competing with Lockheed Martin’s [LMT] F-35 and the Eurofighter Typhoon to be South Korea’s choice for its next-generation fighter jet, for which the country is expected to make a decision this summer. The Eurofighter Typhoon is developed by Finmecannica subsidiary Alenia Aermacchi, BAE Systems and Cassidian, a division of European Aeronautic Defence and Space Co.
The Silent Eagle variant has a number of next-generation improvements on the traditional F-15, including an active electronically-scanned array (AESA) radar, a digital electronic warfare system (DEWS) with one-degree accuracy threat location, fly-by-wire (FBW) flight controls with operational reliability and performance enhancements, an advanced display core processor (ADCP) and an additional four air-to-air or two air-to-ground external weapons carriage capabilities.
The proposed Silent Eagle will also feature an advanced cockpit system (ACS), GE-F110-129E engines developed by General Electric [GE] and conformal weapons bays designed, developed and manufactured in South Korea. Winkler said Boeing is also offering the Silent Eagle to South Korea as part of a fixed price, guaranteed delivery package.
The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) said in April it notified Congress of a potential Direct Commercial Sale (DCS) to South Korea in support of 60 F-15 Silent Eagles and associated equipment and support worth an estimated $2.4 billion. DSCA also said in early April it notified Congress of a potential FMS to South Korea of 60 conventional variant F-35s with associated equipment and support worth a potential $10.8 billion (Defense Daily, April 5).
Lockheed Martin spokesman Eric Schnaible said yesterday the F-35’s superior approach to stealth is what makes the fighter jet the superior offering for South Korea.
“(The F-35) has been designed from the ground up to meet a very exacting and demanding stealth requirement that the (U.S.) Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps have determined is vital to be combat effective in the 21st century,” Schnaible said in an email.
Boeing also touted its Silent Eagle maintenance and support package as part of its offering. Boeing said the Silent Eagle will have 85-percent parts commonality with the F-15K Slam Eagle, which provides a large pool of common spare parts to reduce support costs and provide a well-established logistic support and maintenance capability performed in-country by South Korea’s air force. The F-15K is an advance variant of the F-15E made for South Korea (Defense Daily; Aug. 24, 2011).
Boeing also has a number of key F-15SE systems that will be production ready this year. The DEWS and fly-by-wire flight controls are in production flight testing and will be production ready in 2013 while the F-15SE’s advanced crew station, conformal weapons bay and radar cross section reduction are expected to be production ready by 2015.
Boeing is also producing a variant of the F-15 for Saudi Arabia, the F-15SA, which had its first delivery in late April. The Air Force in March 2012 awarded Boeing an $11.4 billion contract to provide Saudi Arabia with 84 F-15SAs as well as systems and munitions (Defense Daily, March 12, 2012). Boeing in 2012 was also awarded $6.6 billion in F-15SA retrofit contracts.