Boeing’s New F-15X: A Strike Eagle on Steroids? Here Is What We Know.

A legendary fighter jet gets even better?

byZachary Keck

Boeing is considering producing a new advanced version of its F-15 Eagle for the U.S. Air Force, according to various news reports.

Defense One was the first to report the news. On July 16, Defense One’s Marcus Weisgerber revealed that Boeing is “quietly pitching the U.S. Air Force” on the new F-15X model. Weisgerber noted that the company appeared to be trying to replicate the strategy it used to convince the Trump administration to purchase more F/A-18s.

The Defense One report only had a few details about the ways in which the F-15X would differ from earlier models of the airplane.

“Dubbed the F-15X, the new variant of the venerable jet offers more modern flight controls, cockpit displays, and radar,” Weisgerber wrote, citing military and industry sources. He added that it would also pack more firepower, including two dozen air-to-air missiles.

On July 25, The Drive’s Tyler Rogoway provided a more detailed follow up about the proposed new jet. According to Rogoway’s sources, the idea for the more advanced F-15 did not originate from Boeing.

Instead, a year and a half ago the U.S. Air Force approached both Boeing and Lockheed Martin about fielding a new cost-effective aircraft to help reverse the shrinking size of the Air Force’s fleet.