• Subscribe
  • Magazine
  • Videos
  • White Papers
  • Webinars
  • Buyer's Guide
  • EDGE Awards
  • Innovators Awards
    1. Commercial Aerospace

    F-15Cs with upgraded radar arrive at U.S. Air Force's Kadena Air Base

    Nov. 6, 2010
    KADENA AIR BASE, Japan, 6 Nov. 2010. Boeing [NYSE: BA] and U.S. Air Force officials at Kadena Air Base celebrated the arrival of four F-15Cs upgraded with the APG-63(V)3 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar -- which is 50 times more reliable than the mechanically scanned antenna it replaces.
    Pennwell web 120 80
    Pennwell web 120 80
    Posted by John McHaleKADENA AIR BASE, Japan, 6 Nov. 2010. Boeing [NYSE: BA] and U.S. Air Force officials at Kadena Air Base celebrated the arrival of four F-15Cs upgraded with the APG-63(V)3 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar -- which is 50 times more reliable than the mechanically scanned antenna it replaces.The APG-63(V)3 radar is the latest in a series of planned upgrades. These include a fighter-to-fighter data link, GPS navigation, and the Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System, which enable the warfighter to conduct network centric operations while employing the latest air-to-air weapons.The newly arrived F-15Cs will join the APG-63(V)1 and (V)2 aircraft already in the 44th and 67th Fighter Squadrons to provide combat power for the defense of Japan. The upgrades were installed and tested at Langley Air Force Base, Va.Boeing is under contract to fully upgrade 27 Air Force and 18 Air National Guard F-15C/D aircraft with the APG-63(V)3 AESA over the next 10 months. A total of 54 AESA-equipped F-15C/Ds are scheduled to be on station at Kadena by September 2013."The fielded APG-63(V)3 air-to-air capabilities put the F-15C/D in a class by itself and ensure that the Air Force and Air National Guard F-15C/D fleets remain capable, maintainable, and affordable," says Todd Burns, F-15C AESA program manager for Boeing. Boeing's Global Services & Support division provides U.S. Air Force F-15 sustainment services including ground support equipment, spares and retrofit programs, contractor field teams and a full range of training systems and services.The Raytheon APG-63(V)3 is a reliable and affordable high-performance AESA for the F-15 air-to-air variant. "This system improves our capabilities and lethality as a combat air force. We will fly our missions equipped with the world's most powerful air- to-air radar," says Brig. Gen. Ken Wilsbach, commander of the 18th Wing at Kadena. "This capability strengthens our ability to carry out our mission to provide unmatched combat power, provide a forward power projection platform, and provide for the common defense of Japan."

    Voice your opinion!

    To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of Military Aerospace, create an account today!

    ID 9146581 © G. K. | Dreamstime.com
    ID 9146581 © G. K. | Dreamstime.com
    DLR (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0)
    View from the Falcon cockpit: For the measurements, the DLR research aircraft Falcon 20E follows the D328 UpLift at a distance of 50 to 500 meters. Uplift is fuelled with 100 percent synthetic Fischer-Tropsch fuel. Credit: DLR (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0)
    View All Companies >