Key Point: America might soon be playing catch-up with Russia and China.
The United States Air Force is in the midst of a transformational shift. Since the 1990s, all new combat aircraft accepted into inventory have been designed with stealth in mind. Stealth is considered a key aspect of survival over the modern battlefield.
But an all-stealth force has been an extremely expensive proposition. Declining defense budgets during the 1990s and a focus on the Global War on Terror in the 2000s have meant that many legacy aircraft continue to fly on. As the U.S. military begins to reorient towards conflicts with major conventional powers it’s worth asking: how well would the older planes do against modern adversaries?
The F-15 Eagle entered production in 1973. Designed with the lessons of the air war over Vietnam in mind, the F-15 was conceived as a strictly air superiority aircraft without concession to the air-to-ground role. The last F-15 was purchased in 2001.
The F-22 was originally meant to replace the F-15 in Air Force service, but production was halted by then secretary of defense Robert Gates after just 187 aircraft. As a result, 178 F-15s are being upgraded to the latest “Golden Eagle” standard, allowing them to serve for decades more. Each candidate for the upgrade program tested for age-induced cracks and other wear-and-tear issues.
Golden Eagles are also receiving a slew of important new hardware upgrades to keep their claws sharp. These include new APG-63V3 active electronically scanned array air-to-air radars and Joint Helmet Mounted Cuing System, allowing rapid target acquisition with Sidewinder infrared guided missiles.
How would the F-15 Golden Eagle fare against Russia’s frontline fighter, the Sukhoi Su-35? The two aircraft are virtually cousins: both are descended from heavy, twin-engined Cold War air superiority fighters. Like the Golden Eagle, the Su-35 is actually an updated version of the Soviet Union’s Su-27 Flanker fighter.