PARIS, 17 June 2009. Boeing officials announced the company will dedicate funding to further development of the F-15 Silent Eagle program, with the goal of a flight demonstration in the third quarter of 2010.

They made the announcement at the Paris Air Show following meetings with potential customers and reaffirmed a commitment to the prototype program made by Boeing Integrated Defense Systems president and chief executive officer Jim Albaugh earlier this week.

The F-15 Silent Eagle, which Boeing launched in March, advances the most modern variants of the F-15 multi-role strike fighter with enhanced survivability. Features include a digital electronic warfare suite coupled to an Advanced Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar for enhanced situational awareness, aerodynamic improvements, and cost-effective radar cross-section reduction technologies.

"We know from talking with current international F-15 operators that they are very interested in the capabilities of the Silent Eagle," says Albaugh. "Making this commitment to get the program through to a flight demonstration will ultimately help international customers understand how this aircraft meets their need for a flexible, long-range, large-payload, high-speed, multi-role strike fighter with reduced observability."

Boeing will conduct further trade studies to allow new F-15 technologies to be brought to market. In addition, Boeing will continue discussions with a number of international aerospace companies about potential co-development opportunities.