CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — Boeing’s F-15 jet is undergoing a renaissance in Asia, as two countries implement modernization programs on legacy fleets, and another customer eyes the latest F-15EX version.
South Korea is the second Asian nation to announce F-15 upgrades. On Nov. 19, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) approved a $6.2 billion upgrade for all 59 Korean F-15K fighters.
The proposed package includes Advanced Display Core Processor II mission computers, AN/APG-82(v)1 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars, AN/ALQ-250 electronic warfare suites and AN/AAR-57 missile warning systems.
Korean Air provides F-15K depot-level maintenance, so the airline may also be involved in this upgrade that will stretch from 2024-2034.
Armed with weapons like Taurus KEPD 350 and AGM-84H/K SLAM-ER cruise missiles, F-15Ks are critical to Seoul’s so-called “kill chain” to deter North Korean aggression.
Neighboring Japan was the first Asian nation to embark on F-15 upgrades. Boeing is under contract, via the U.S. Air Force, with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) to modernize 68 F-15Js.
A Boeing spokesperson told Defense News: “Boeing will provide our longstanding partner MHI with retrofit drawings, equipment and publications to perform the upgrades, and will support the integration of advanced mission systems through the U.S. Air Force Foreign Military Sales contract.”
Japan’s F-15Js are receiving the same radar and mission computer as Korea, plus ALQ-239 electronic warfare systems and the ability to fire weapons like the JASSM-ER standoff missile, according to a DSCA announcement in October 2019.
Boeing further noted, “The F-15 upgrades are not just another upgrade program; it’s a total transformation of the jet, delivering contemporary capabilities to Japan at par with those in the current-production F-15,” in other words, the F-15EX.
Japan’s Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency said the program is “on track”, despite initial cost and schedule problems.
On March 18, Japan signed a letter of acceptance for Lockheed Martin’s JASSM-ER, a weapon needed to “strengthen standoff defense capabilities in order to intercept and eliminate invading forces against Japan at distance and at an early stage”.
Singapore, the only other Asian F-15 user, has not announced any upgrade effort for its F-15SG fleet yet, but Boeing said Japan’s program is “relevant to current and future F-15 users.”
Illustrating the perennial attraction of the F-15, which first entered service 48 years ago, Indonesia has expressed interest in buying new F-15EXs. Boeing’s representative told Defense News, “Boeing continues to work closely with the U.S. and Indonesian governments to support this effort through the FMS process.”
Boeing revealed on Aug. 21, 2023, that it had signed a memorandum of understanding with Jakarta regarding the sale of up to 24 F-15EXs. However, that announcement made no mention of price or schedule. Jakarta first needs to complete funding of 42 Rafale fighters it has bought from France.
Cementing American confidence in the F-15, the Air Force revealed on July 3 that it would deploy 36 F-15EXs in Okinawa, Japan, to replace 48 F-15C/Ds already stationed there.
Gordon Arthur is an Asia correspondent for Defense News. After a 20-year stint working in Hong Kong, he now resides in New Zealand. He has attended military exercises and defense exhibitions in about 20 countries around the Asia-Pacific region.
