Boeing moves to full-scale development on new BAE Systems-developed EW system for F-15 fighter
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AFB, Ohio, 4 Nov. 2016. Electronic warfare (EW) avionics experts at the Boeing Co. are moving forward with full-scale development of EW avionics for the U.S. Air Force F-15 jet fighter fleet that will help protect the combat aircraft from radar-guided missiles.
Officials of the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, announced a $478.8 million contract Thursday to the Boeing Defense, Space & Security segment in St. Louis for engineering and manufacturing development (EMD) of the Eagle Passive/Active Warning and Survivability System (EPAWSS).
Boeing is the original manufacturer of the 1970s-vintage F-15 Eagle jet fighter, and the BAE Systems Electronic Systems segment in Nashua, N.H., designs and builds the EPAWSS. McDonnell Douglas Corp. designed the aircraft and manufactured it from 1976 to 1996. Boeing bought McDonnell Douglas in 1996 and will continue F-15 production through 2019.
Boeing will provide planning, design development, integration, testing, and risk reduction activities for the F-15 EPAWSS program, while partner BAE Systems provides EPAWSS design and production.
The EPAWSS provides the Air Force F-15 fleet with EW technology to make the most of mission effectiveness and survivability, BAE Systems officials say. It provides offensive and defensive EW options for the pilot.
EPAWSS offers integrated radar warning, geo-location, situational awareness, and self-protection to detect and defeat enemy aircraft, air-to-air missiles, as well as surface-to-air missiles amid dense electronic signals in contested airspace. Its electronic countermeasures enable the F-15 to penetrate enemy air defenses.
The all-digital EPAWSS is smaller than previous F-15 EW systems, and offers improved reliability and maintainability. The Air Force and Boeing chose BAE Systems to design and build the EPAWSS last year to replace the F-15's ALQ-135 EW suite.
Delays in building and deploying the Lockheed Martin F-35 have encouraged Air Force leaders to extend the service life of the F-15 fleet beyond 2040, with upgrades involving new active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars, new EW sensors and processors, and new cockpit displays.
On Thursday's EPAWSS contract Boeing and BAE Systems will do the work in St. Louis and should be finished by August 2020. For more information contact Boeing Defense, Space & Security online at www.boeing.com/defense, BAE Systems Electronic Systems at www.baesystems.com, or the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at www.wpafb.af.mil/aflcmc.
Learn more: search the Aerospace & Defense Buyer's Guide for companies, new products, press releases, and videos
John Keller | Editor
John Keller is editor-in-chief of Military & Aerospace Electronics magazine, which provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronic and optoelectronic technologies in military, space, and commercial aviation applications. A member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since the magazine's founding in 1989, Mr. Keller took over as chief editor in 1995.