Boeing F15EX: Comeback for 4.5 Generation Fighter Jets?

On July 13, 2020, the U.S. Air Force finalized a $22.89 billion deal to build an estimated 144 Boeing F-15EX fighter jets, latest iteration of America's F-15E Strike Eagle.

This signals a major comeback for 4.5 generation jets, thought to be on their way to extinction after the advent of the fifth-gen birds- the F-35 and the F-22.

The F-15EX combat jets are set to replace oldest F-15C/Ds in the USAF inventory. A major selling point of the new jet is the fighter's ability to carry up to 22 air-to-air missiles, far more than the F-35.

In April 2020, Boeing announced maiden flight of F-15QA, which it markets as the most advanced version of the F-15 Eagle. Developed for the Qatar Emiri Air Force (QEAF), Boeing claims this jet brings to its operators next-generation technologies such as fly-by-wire flight controls, digital cockpit; modernized sensors, radar, and electronic warfare capabilities; and the world's fastest mission computer. The U.S. Department of Defense awarded Boeing a $6.2 billion contract in 2017 to manufacture 36 F-15 fighter jets for the QEAF.

Defenseworld.net compares features of the F-15EX with that of the F-35 stealth jet....