F-15SE Silent Eagle

The Boeing F-15SE Silent Eagle is a proposed upgrade of the F-15E by Boeing using fifth generation fighter features, such as internal weapons carriage and radar-absorbent material.

Design and development

A demonstration version of the F-15SE was first displayed by Boeing on 17 March 2009. The F-15SE will use fifth generation fighter technologies to reduce its radar cross-section (RCS). Distinguishing features of this version are the conformal fuel tanks that hold weapons internally and the twin vertical tails canted outward 15 degrees to reduce its radar cross section. Weapons storage takes the place of most of each conformal tank's fuel capacity. This variant will also have radar absorbing material where needed. The Silent Eagle is aimed at current F-15 users such as Israel, Saudi Arabia, Japan, and South Korea, among others.

The F-15SE is to have a level of stealth allowed for export by the US government.Boeing has admitted that this stealth will only be in the range of fifth generation aircraft such as the F-35 Lightning II from the frontal aspect. The F-15SE will have a Raytheon AESA radar, and a new electronic warfare system from BAE Systems. This stealth will be optimized for air to air missions and much less effective against ground based radars.

In March 2009, Boeing formally launched the F-15 Silent Eagle and began to offer it for international sales. The aircraft is capable of carrying both internal weapons and external weapons mounted on hardpoints under each wing. The F-15SE's lower cost compared to fifth generation fighters is intended to aid the aircraft's appeal to the export market. The aircraft would require export licenses similar to the F-35.

Unit cost has been estimated by Boeing at approximately US$100 million, including spares and support.The company has been seeking other companies to be risk sharing partners to reduce its development costs. Studies of different possible levels of reduction in radar cross-section (RCS) are underway. In June 2009, Boeing stated it planned for a demonstration flight of the Silent Eagle in the third quarter 2010.

During August and September 2009, Boeing performed radar cross section testing on an F-15E with different to select a coating for the Silent Eagle. In September 2009, Saudi Arabia was reported to be considering the purchase of up to 72 F-15 strike aircraft. Although the exact variant is unspecified, they are reported to be interested in the Silent Eagle.

Although Boeing has been in tentative talks with South Korea since 2009 regarding the purchase of the Silent Eagle, it is unable to market the aircraft to international customers until it receives until an export license from the United States government. The company filed for an export license in early 2010, and received it in July 2010. The F-15E1 serving as a Silent Eagle demonstrator first flew on 8 July 2010 with a Conformal Weapons Bay.

On 6 July 2010, in a face to face meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reported to have asked US President Obama to expedite the export of the "stealth F-15E" and got no reply.

SPECIFICATION:

Basic specifications listed are for F-15E Strike Eagle, which the F-15SE is based.

Data from USAF F-15E fact sheet, Davies, and Boeing Backgrounder on Silent Eagle.

General characteristics

• Crew: 2
• Length: 63.8 ft (19.43 m)
• Wingspan: 42.8 ft (13.05 m)
• Height: 18.5 ft (5.63 m)
• Wing area: 608 ft² (56.5 m²)
• Airfoil: NACA 64A006.6 root, NACA 64A203 tip
• Empty weight: 31,700 lb (14,300 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 81,000 lb (36,700 kg)
• Powerplaant: 2× Pratt & Whitney F100-229 afterburning turbofans, 29,000 lbf (129 kN) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: Mach 2.5+ (1,650+ mph, 2,650+ km/h)
• Combat radius: 800+ nm (920 miles, 1,480 km)
• Ferry range: 2,400 mi (2,100 nmi, 3,900 km) with conformal fuel tank and three external fuel tanks
• Service ceiling: 60,000 ft (18,200 m)
• Rate of climb: 50,000+ ft/min (254+ m/s)

Armament

• 1× 20 mm (0.787 in) M61 Vulcan gatling gun with 510 rounds of ammunition
• Four internal hardpoints in Conformal Weapons Bays for low-observable capability, Or
• External load the same as Strike Eagle's with standard CFTs, including targeting pods and additional external fuel tanks.

Avionics

• APG-82 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar
• DEWS Electronic warfare system
• Digital “Fly-by-Wire” Flight Control System (DFCS)
• Lockheed Martin Sniper advanced electro-optical targeting system and Infrared Search and Track (IRST) system
• Link-16 fighter data link