After two years of experimental testing, the USAF reportedly found that the new F-15EX fighter plane performed better than anticipated in terms of the quantity and weight of ammunition. The F-15EX may be more capable and less expensive to buy and operate than the F-35 for operations that do not primarily rely on stealth, according to recent research. With the EX improvements, the aircraft can fly 20,000 hours at a cost of $29,000 per hour while carrying out the same bomber tasks as the two-seat F-15E. An F-35 costs about $100 million to operate, which is a third of what it costs to buy one.
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The news comes just days after this workhorse of the USAF successfully tested a missile, putting it one step closer to being able to carry more air-to-air missiles than any other fighter in its arsenal, including the F-16 Fighting Falcon, F-35, and F-22 Raptor. Additionally, the F-15EX can carry more weaponry than any other F-15 variant, up to 13.6 tons. Before the F-15EX Eagle 2, the USAF claims that F-15 aircraft could carry eight air-to-air missiles. The Eagle 2 has four additional missile stations at the wing tips, though. The USAF stated that the successful use of these weapons was a significant step in demonstrating the Eagle II aircraft's 12-air-to-air missile capabilities.
The first eight F-15EX fighter bombers were delivered to the Air Force in early 2021 after the Air Force placed an order for eight of them in mid-2020 for $150 million each. As a result of their heavy use in the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, the older F-15Es will shortly be retired or flown less regularly, and will be replaced by the modernized F-15EX. The service had previously asked for 33 F-35s for 2023, 15 fewer than in the fiscal year 2022, in order to buy more F-15EXs. The Pentagon has insisted that it is less expensive to buy and run than the fifth-generation F-35A.Earlier media publications attempted to refute assertions that the F-15EX had lower operational costs than the F-35.
This is explained in Breaking Defense's in-depth investigation, which also finds that the two fighter jets' operating costs are comparable. The operational life of an F-15EX is expected to be 20,000 hours, as opposed to 8,000 hours for the F-35, therefore this may be important to remember. To fly the same number of hours as an F-15EX, the Air Force would therefore need to purchase three F-35As rather than just one.