The US Air Force is integrating the F-15EX, equipped with AN/APG-82(V)1 radar and the Legion pod, in response to budget challenges facing the NGAD program.
The US Air Force is continuing to integrate the F-15EX Eagle II, a 4.5th generation aircraft designed to enhance air capabilities alongside the F-22 and F-35. Entering service in July 2024, the F-15EX combines a proven airframe, AN/APG-82(V)1 AESA radar, Legion IRST21 infrared pod, and EPAWSS electronic warfare system. Presented as a fast and economical solution, it allows the USAF to deploy a powerful aircraft where absolute discretion is not imperative. At the same time, messages on X highlight the huge costs of the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program — known as the F-47 — intended to replace the F-22. The debate pits supporters of an expensive stealth system against those who believe that the F-15EX offers a more realistic price/performance ratio in the short and medium term. This article will detail the technical equipment of the F-15EX, its operational role, its strategic positioning in the US fleet, and the budgetary controversy surrounding the NGAD in the face of the rise of the Chinese J-20.
The technical configuration of the F-15EX Eagle II
The F-15EX is based on the Advanced Eagle version, derived from the F-15E Strike Eagle. Built from a modernized airframe, it has an estimated service life of 20,000 flight hours and a fly-by-wire control system. It is equipped with the AN/APG-82(V)1 radar, an AESA antenna derived from a combination of the APG-63(V)3 and the APG-79 processor, with adaptable RF filtering and optimized cooling. This radar offers long-range detection, simultaneous multiple tracking and integrated electronic warfare capability linked to the EPAWSS digital architecture.
The Legion IRST21 infrared pod enables passive detection of low-visibility threats, including stealth aircraft such as the J-20. The aircraft can carry up to 12 AIM-120 AMRAAM or AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles and heavy air-to-ground weapons such as the AGM-158 JASSM or AGM-183 ARRW, in internal or external configurations depending on the mission.
The engines remain the General Electric F110-GE-129, adapted to this model with high thrust combined with proven robustness. Thanks to foreign investment—approximately $5 billion committed by Qatar and Saudi Arabia to cover development costs—the F-15EX has an estimated unit cost of $94 million, or approximately $86 million, for an initial purchase of 104 aircraft.
The operational role of the F-15EX in the USAF fleet
First delivered in March 2021 to Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, the aircraft reached operational capability in July 2024 with the Oregon Air National Guard. The program calls for a final fleet of 129 aircraft, with a budget of $3 billion in 2026 to continue deliveries and training.
The F-15EX is gradually replacing the National Guard’s F-15C/Ds, particularly in California and Louisiana, while also performing air defense missions over the national territory and supporting operations outside contested areas. It complements the F-22 and F-35 in missions where stealth is not critical, such as saturation strikes or the deployment of heavy stand-off munitions.
Its payload capacity of 13 tons, twice that of the F-35, combined with a range of approximately 1,300 kilometers, makes it an asset for long-range strikes and air protection.
Budgetary challenges related to NGAD and the strategic debate
The NGAD, or F-47, program has already received more than $5.1 billion between 2022 and 2024, and nearly $2.75 billion in 2025 to continue through 2029. The estimated unit cost of the future aircraft is $300 million, or even more depending on equipment depreciation and small-scale industrialization.
Critics on X have spoken out against this massive allocation, pointing out that the USAF will not be able to simultaneously finance NGAD, F-35, F-15EX, and other programs while reducing the size of its fleet (to less than 5,000 aircraft by 2025). The F-15EX therefore appears to be a pragmatic choice: cheaper, available quickly, and useful for specific missions in the face of the rise of Chinese aircraft such as the J-20.
This debate reflects a tension between ultra-expensive innovation and proven but modernized solutions. The F-15EX represents a middle ground, allowing for immediate air power enhancement while preparing for the arrival of the NGAD via a fleet of autonomous drones (CCA) at an estimated ratio of two drones per manned fighter.
Strategic positioning in the face of the rise of the Chinese J-20
Faced with the accelerated development of the Chengdu J-20, China’s fifth-generation aircraft, the F-15EX provides a less direct but effective vulnerable complement in suppression or air defense missions in less congested areas. Its AESA radar, passive IRST, and ability to carry heavy munitions give it an advantage in engagements with more conventional threats or long-range sanctions.
It is not intended to compete with the J-20 in terms of stealth, but to offer operational robustness within a constrained budgetary and technical context. This pragmatic positioning allows the United States to maintain appropriate superiority without waiting for the sixth generation to enter service. This reassures certain allies and potential users of the F-35, who could also choose the F-15EX as a cost-effective complementary system.
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