The first operational F-15EX fighter aircraft lifts off from St Louis, Missouri, en route to Portland Air National Guard Base. (Oregon National Guard Public Affairs)
The Oregon Air National Guard's (ANG's) 142nd Fighter Wing took delivery of the first Boeing F-15EX Eagle II intended for operational service on 5 June, according to a statement by the manufacturer.
F-15EX with serial number EX8 flew from Boeing's St Louis, Missouri factory to the 142nd's base at Portland Air National Guard Base in Portland, Oregon. A second aircraft, serial number EX7, is scheduled for delivery in “the next couple of weeks”, Boeing told Janes on 10 June. The wing, which serves as the primary rapid response air-defence unit in the US northwest, is ultimately scheduled to receive 17 more F-15EXs, replacing its current fleet of F-15C/Ds.
Boeing has now delivered seven F-15EXs to the US Air Force (USAF), with previous examples employed as test aircraft at Edwards and Eglin air force bases. The company is producing F-15EXs at a rate of 1.5 per month, Boeing said, with the intent to raise the production level to two per month starting in 2025.
The USAF intends to order 98 F-15EXs, down from a planned 144 when the Eagle II was introduced. The type conducted its first flight and entered initial operational test and evaluation (IOT&E) in 2021, and completed the process in 2023, certifying its readiness for operational employment. The type's initial operational capability is scheduled for 2025.
The F-15EX is intended to replace the USAF's ageing F-15C/D fleet, which first entered production in 1979. Although similar in appearance, the F-15EX was adapted as a two-seat air-to-air fighter from the F-15QA ground-attack version exported to Qatar.
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