Boeing F-15SE Silent Eagle

Development

The F-15SE was officially unveiled by Boeing on March 17, 2009, as a stealth-enhanced variant of the F-15E. It was designed primarily for foreign military sales, targeting countries that were restricted from acquiring the F-22 or seeking more affordable alternatives to the F-35.

The F-15SE was pitched to South Korea during its F-X fighter program. South Korea ultimately selected the F-35A in 2013, marking a major setback for the F-15SE. Other potential customers, such as Saudi Arabia, Japan, and Israel favored the F-15SA, F-15IA, or the F-35A.

By the mid-2010s, Boeing had shifted its focus to developing the F-15SA (Saudi Advanced), a less ambitious modernized evolution of the F-15 platform optimized for payload, range, and Open Mission Systems (OMS). Improvements include a new fly-by-wire system and, in later variants, the advanced cockpit originally intended for the F-15SE. The F-15SA became the basis for the Advanced Eagle family, eventually evolving into the F-15QA (Qatari Advanced) and the F-15EX. The F-15EX was intended to replace the F-15C/D primarily for the U.S. Air National Guard, would become the standard Advanced Eagle configuration for production and export.

Design

The F-15SE was planned to feature an avionics suite based on the F-15E. It was planned to feature the APG-82 AESA radar, offering improved detection range, resolution, and electronic counter-countermeasures compared to earlier models. The F-15SE was planned to be equipped with the Digital Electronic Warfare System (DEWS), which could detect, track, identify, and categorize radar and electronic signals from potential threats, distinguishing between search, tracking, and targeting systems, as well as locate surface-to-air missiles, and perform jamming and deception against hostile radar. Its cockpit was planned to feature an 11x19–inch Large Area Display (LAD).

The F-15SE was planned to feature the AN/AAQ-33 allowing for precision targeting in various operational conditions, The aircraft was planned to equip Link-16 for situational awareness and data sharing capabilities.

To reduce its radar cross-section (RCS), the F-15SE was designed with conformal weapons bays (CWB) replacing the standard conformal fuel tanks. This allowed for internal carriage of air-to-air missiles, such as AIM-120 and AIM-9, and air-to-ground weapons like Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAMs) and Small Diameter Bombs (SDBs), minimizing external hardpoints.

References

References

1. "Boeing Unveils New International F-15 Configuration -- the F-15SE".
2. Trimble, Stephen. (March 17, 2009). "Boeing unveils upgraded F-15 Silent Eagle with fifth-generation features".
3. Kass, Harrison. (2024-11-17). "F-15SE Silent Eagle: 'Stealth' F-15 That Never Joined the Air Force". The National Interest.
4. "F-15SE Silent Eagle Rejected by South Korea".
5. admin. (2009-03-18). "Silent Eagle F-15SE - Defense Update:".
6. "Electronic Warfare".
7. "Boeing F-15SE Silent Eagle".
8. "Federal Register / Vol. 78, No. 75 / Thursday, April 18, 2013".