F-15EX Eagle II lands at 142nd Wing, boosts US Air Force power.
Under the pale Oregon sky, a sleek, twin-engine fighter jet touched down at Portland Air National Guard Base, its landing gear kissing the tarmac with a faint screech. The aircraft, bearing the military registration 21-009, gleamed in the muted light, its fresh paint adorned with the insignia of the 142nd Wing.
Technicians and pilots gathered nearby, their eyes fixed on the machine—a Boeing F-15EX Eagle II, the ninth of its kind delivered to this unit and the first from the second production batch. This was no ordinary delivery. It marked a pivotal moment for the U.S. Air Force, a step toward modernizing a fleet that must counter evolving global threats.
Why, in an era dominated by stealth fighters and autonomous drones, is the Air Force doubling down on a design rooted in the 1970s? The answer lies in the F-15EX’s blend of legacy and innovation, a testament to its enduring relevance in a world where airpower remains a cornerstone of national security.
This latest delivery to the 142nd Wing, announced by Boeing on its official X account, underscores the Air Force’s urgent need to bridge capability gaps. The F-15EX is not merely a replacement for the aging F-15C/D Eagles, which have patrolled American skies since the late 1970s.
It is a multirole platform designed to tackle missions that stealth fighters like the F-35 cannot. With the ability to carry an unmatched payload of 29,500 pounds, including hypersonic weapons, the Eagle II serves as a force multiplier, capable of delivering overwhelming firepower in contested environments.
Its arrival at Portland, as reported by Janes, signals the Air Force’s commitment to maintaining air superiority while adapting to the demands of modern warfare. The 142nd Wing, tasked with defending the Pacific Northwest’s airspace, now stands at the forefront of this transformation, transitioning from legacy Eagles to a jet that promises to redefine its operational scope.
The significance of this delivery extends beyond the runway in Portland. The F-15EX program, which began with its maiden flight in February 2021, represents a pragmatic response to strategic challenges.
The Air Force faces a fighter shortfall, exacerbated by the truncated production of the F-22 Raptor and delays in the F-35 program. According to a 2020 Air Force announcement, the F-15EX was chosen to replace F-15C/D fleets in units like the 142nd Wing, leveraging Boeing’s active export production line to deliver new fighters quickly and affordably.
The transition to Lot 2, as noted by Boeing’s Robert Novotny in a March 2025 interview with Janes, indicates that production is gaining momentum, with improved processes and reduced costs. This milestone reflects years of effort to modernize a platform that first took to the skies nearly five decades ago, adapting it to meet the threats of the 21st century.
The story of the F-15EX is one of evolution. The original F-15 Eagle, designed by McDonnell Douglas, was a Cold War icon, built to outmatch Soviet fighters like the MiG-25. Its airframe, known for speed and agility, became the foundation for the F-15E Strike Eagle, a multirole variant introduced in the 1980s.
The F-15EX, or Eagle II, builds on this lineage, incorporating advancements developed for export models like the F-15SA for Saudi Arabia and the F-15QA for Qatar. Boeing’s St. Louis facility, where the jet is manufactured, has refined the design to include a reinforced wing structure, extending service life to 20,000 hours.
The aircraft’s twin General Electric F110-GE-129 engines, each producing over 29,000 pounds of thrust, propel it to speeds exceeding Mach 2.5, ensuring it can keep pace with modern adversaries.
What sets the F-15EX apart is its technological leap. The jet features a digital fly-by-wire system, replacing the hybrid controls of earlier models, which enhances maneuverability and enables two additional weapon stations, bringing the total to 11.
Its Raytheon AN/APG-82[V]1 AESA radar provides superior target detection, capable of tracking fighter-sized threats at ranges exceeding 100 miles. The cockpit, equipped with 10-by-19-inch large-area displays for both pilot and weapon systems officer, offers a panoramic view of the battlespace, integrating data from the Lockheed Martin Legion Pod’s AN/ASG-34[V]1 infrared search-and-track sensor.
The BAE Systems AN/ALQ-250 EPAWSS suite bolsters survivability, countering radar-guided missiles and electronic threats. With a payload capacity that dwarfs competitors—carrying up to 12 air-to-air missiles or three long-range cruise missiles—the F-15EX is a veritable arsenal in the sky, as demonstrated in a 2023 test at Eglin Air Force Base, where it successfully launched missiles from its outboard stations.
Compared to its global counterparts, the F-15EX holds a unique position. China’s J-20, a stealth fighter, prioritizes low observability but lacks the Eagle II’s payload and range. Russia’s Su-35, while agile and heavily armed, relies on older avionics, giving the F-15EX an edge in networked warfare.
The Eurofighter Typhoon, a European multirole jet, matches the F-15EX in versatility but falls short in weapons capacity. The Eagle II’s open mission systems architecture allows rapid upgrades, ensuring it can integrate future technologies, from hypersonic missiles to unmanned wingmen.
This adaptability makes it a complement to the F-35, which excels in stealth but sacrifices payload for its low-observable profile. As Boeing’s Mark Sears told FlightGlobal in June 2024, the F-15EX’s excess power and cooling capacity—utilizing only half its potential—positions it for decades of growth.
The 142nd Wing, now receiving its ninth F-15EX, is no stranger to the Eagle family. Based at Portland Air National Guard Base, the unit traces its roots to World War II, when it flew P-51 Mustangs as an observation squadron.
Over the decades, it evolved into a fighter wing, operating F-4 Phantoms and F-15C/D Eagles. Its mission, as outlined by the Oregon Air National Guard, centers on homeland defense, providing continuous Aerospace Control Alert coverage for the Pacific Northwest.
The wing’s F-15Cs, some over 40 years old, have grown costly to maintain, with airframe fatigue and outdated systems limiting their effectiveness. The transition to the F-15EX, which began with the first operational delivery on June 5, 2024, as reported by Janes, marks a generational shift. The wing is slated to receive 18 Eagle IIs by 2028, replacing its entire F-15C/D fleet.
The 142nd Wing’s operational history is a tapestry of service. After the September 11 attacks, its pilots patrolled U.S. skies, ensuring air sovereignty. Deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan saw the wing’s Eagles conducting combat air patrols and precision strikes.
In 2010, the unit supported NATO operations in Eastern Europe, a testament to its global reach. The F-15EX enhances this legacy, offering greater range, firepower, and connectivity. As Lt. Col. Joel Thesing, a 123rd Fighter Squadron pilot, remarked after his first F-15EX flight in March 2024, “The engines feel like they have a lot more power than those in the C-model, and the radar and avionics are a generational improvement.”
The jet’s digital backbone enables seamless integration with F-35s and drones, allowing the 142nd to execute complex missions, from defending critical infrastructure to projecting power abroad.
Training for the F-15EX has been a focal point for the 142nd Wing. Pilots, many of whom flew the F-15C, require minimal retraining, thanks to the jet’s 90 percent compatibility with its predecessor, as noted by Lt. Col. Nathan Rice in a 2021 DVIDS report.
Maintainers, however, face a steeper learning curve, adapting to new systems like the fly-by-wire controls and EPAWSS. The wing’s Conversion Team, established in 2021, has worked with Boeing and Eglin Air Force Base to ensure a smooth transition.
By July 2024, when the 142nd unveiled its first two operational F-15EXs, as reported by the Air National Guard, the unit had achieved initial operational capability, a milestone that positions it as a trailblazer for other Air National Guard squadrons.
The delivery of the F-15EX comes at a time of heightened global tension. In the Indo-Pacific, China’s expanding air force, including the J-20 and advanced surface-to-air missiles, poses a challenge to U.S. dominance.
The F-15EX, with its long-range standoff capabilities, is tailored for this theater, capable of striking targets deep within contested zones while coordinating with stealth assets. In Europe, the ongoing war in Ukraine and Russia’s assertive posture underscore the need for robust NATO airpower.
The 142nd Wing’s F-15EXs could deploy to allied bases, bolstering deterrence. The jet’s export potential, with interest from Israel, Indonesia, and Poland, as noted in a 2023 Boeing press release, strengthens U.S. alliances and Boeing’s market position, countering competitors like Dassault’s Rafale.
The human element of this transition adds depth to the story. Imagine a veteran maintainer, hands calloused from years of wrenching on F-15Cs, marveling at the Eagle II’s streamlined diagnostics. Or a young pilot, fresh from training, climbing into the cockpit, its displays casting a soft glow as she prepares for her first sortie.
For the Portland community, the roar of the F-15EX is a familiar sound of freedom, as Governor Tina Kotek described at the July 2024 unveiling, emphasizing the wing’s role in maintaining air sovereignty since 1958.
Yet, the jet’s arrival also sparks questions about cost and strategy. The Air Force plans to acquire 98 F-15EXs, down from an initial 144, as reported by Janes, raising concerns about whether this will suffice to meet global commitments.
As the 142nd Wing integrates its ninth F-15EX, the broader implications come into focus. This aircraft is not a relic of the past but a bridge to the future, blending proven design with cutting-edge technology.
Its role in the Air Force’s arsenal—complementing stealth fighters, carrying next-generation weapons, and enabling joint operations—ensures its relevance through the 2030s and beyond. For the 142nd Wing, the Eagle II heralds a new chapter, enhancing its ability to protect the homeland and project power globally.
Yet, as the Air Force navigates budget constraints and emerging technologies, a question lingers: Will the F-15EX prove to be the last triumph of a storied lineage, or will it redefine the boundaries of what a non-stealth fighter can achieve in an increasingly complex world?
Bulgarian Militarry