Indonesia to become First Export Customer of New Boeing F-15 Variant, The F-15FX?

The Indonesian Air Force will become the first export customer of the Boeing F-15FX fighter, the latest version of the F-15 and not the F-15EX as stated earlier.

“Indonesia recently became the 8th country to select the F-15 and will become the first export customer of the latest FX variant when the sale is finalized,” Boeing said in a statement released as part of the F-15EX proposal to Poland.

Boeing and the Indonesian government signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on August 21 this year to further discussions on the acquisition of 24 F-15EX fighters during the visit of Indonesian defense minister, Prabowo Subianto to the United States.

In official announcements made by Boeing and the Indonesian Ministry of Defense during and prior to the August 21 MoU, the version of the Boeing F-15 referred to is the F-15EX and not FX. So the assertion by Boeing that Indonesia will become the first export customer of the F-15FX comes as a surprise.

Boeing has not elaborated regarding the difference between F-15EX and FX versions. Besides, there is no information from the company regarding the existence of an F-15FX variant.

F-15FX in old proposal for Japan

However, some information about an old  F-15FX proposal for the Japan Self Defense Force (JSDF) is available on the internet. The proposal, the date and authenticity of which cannot be verified, reveals information about a modernized F-15, called the F-15FX.

This could be a pitch for Japan’s 2018 F-X fighter jet acquisition proposal. It was reported that Boeing had offered an upgraded fighter based on their F-15. However, Japan later preferred to partner the U.K .and Italy  by integrating its F-X project and into the Franco-Italian Tempest to develop a sixth-generation fighter aircraft by 2035.