“Facilitated by its advanced mission computing, platform architectures, communication networks and comprehensive sensor suite, the F-15EX provides a realistic growth path to the future of manned-unmanned teaming,” Boeing argues. For a fighter that has been around nearly five decades, the F-15EX Eagle II is not merely holding on in the era of stealth and autonomy—it is rapidly redrawing the boundaries of how to project airpower at scale.
At the center of the F-15EX revival is its unparalleled 29,500-pound payload capacity, a number not touched by any other U.S. fighter. This allows the Eagle II to become what many within the Air Force now refer to as a “flying weapons truck,” capable of carrying 12 AMRAAMs or oversized standoff missiles from underwing pylons and fuselage stations. During recent Combat Hammer exercises, F-15EXs launched the longest-range air-to-air and air-to-ground standoff munitions in the U.S. arsenal, including Joint Direct Attack Munition-guided Small Diameter Bombs and a number of Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles, the U.S. Air Force’s 53rd Wing states. Major Calvin Connor, the 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron commander, described these demonstrations as proof that the F-15EX “can deploy three different Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles” on one mission.
Raw power, though, is insufficient to confer relevance in a battlespace increasingly characterized by advanced air defenses and fifth- or sixth-generation adversaries. The F-15EX’s greatest transformation can be its embrace of manned-unmanned teaming through its two-seat nature and digital spine. Unlike the single-seat F-35 or F-22, the F-15EX cockpit has space for a Weapon Systems Officer who, besides ordering the jet’s massive arsenal, can pilot a squadron of AI-controlled “Loyal Wingmen” drones. This is not science fiction: the U.S. Air Force began flight testing of cooperative combat aircraft such as the YFQ-42A and YFQ-44A, a first for the Collaborative Combat Aircraft (CCA) program.
The vision, according to Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall, is for a single pilot to “call plays” for up to five unmanned planes, each designed to scout, jam, strike, or be decoys. “There’s enough technology in existence from programs that we’ve already conducted, it convinces me that’s not a crazy idea,” Kendall told the Center for a New American Security. The F-15EX, with its advanced mission computing and large area display, is uniquely suited to this quarterback role, managing the complex flow of targeting data, defensive countermeasures, and real-time sensor fusion required for coordinated operations.
Artificial intelligence is central to this transformation. These drones, like the XQ-58A Valkyrie, are designed to be flown semi-autonomously, with onboard AI sensing threats, plotting targets, and even recommending lethal action though never without human command. According to the New York Times, the systems are now flying alongside F-15s in test exercises, demonstrating the potential for a pilot to fly a pack of robot wingmen through hostile skies. Mitchell Institute senior fellow Heather Penney notes that this strategy “frees humans to do more of what human cognition is really adept at these really complex kinds of intuitive tasks.”
Technical advancements on the F-15EX extend far beyond its weapons bay. Boeing has integrated what it calls the world’s most advanced fighter radar, a next-generation Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) system that greatly enhances detection range, track accuracy, and jam resistance. The digital spine facilitates regular software updates and advanced electronic warfare through the Eagle Passive Active Warning Survivability System (EPAWSS), enabling the jet to detect, identify, and counter radar-guided threats in real time. The airframe is strengthened and the engines are more efficient and powerful, providing the Eagle II with the range and the speed to serve as a forward battle manager or standoff strike aircraft.
While not stealth, the F-15EX is able to deliver overwhelming quantities of firepower at standoff ranges out of range of enemy air defenses, a strategic adjunct to the F-35 and future F-47 fleets. The U.S. Air Force’s decision to maintain an active F-15 line now 90 planes in the pipeline is an acknowledgment that “mass” remains central in any large power conflict. With fewer than 190 F-22 Raptors ever built, and sixth-generation platforms years from being ready for operational use, the F-15EX fills a critical niche: it can be built cheaply, delivered in numbers, and adapted to new missions as technology advances.
The idea of operation is open. In a hostile environment, sneaky F-35s would penetrate and designate targets, and F-15EXs, at standoff distance, would unleash salvos of precision-guided munitions and direct swarms of AI-capable drones to blanket enemy defenses. It exploits the mechanical advantage of each platform stealth, payload, autonomy and eliminates their related disabilities.
The ethical and technical challenges of inserting AI into lethal systems continue to be closely watched. Former US Secretary of the Air Force Deborah Lee James explained that although AI may cause drones to execute evasive actions or pre-programmed missions, “I doubt the military would empower an autonomous system to make its own decisions on whether to shift from one target to another, if that newly acquired target potentially involved human casualties.” Human control, stable command-and-control networks, and open standards of AI “misbehavior” are protective measures as these technologies evolve.
The F-15EX’s journey from Cold War relic to digital-era force multiplier is one of resilience. Its combination of payload, mission flexibility, and interoperability with autonomous platforms offers a compelling answer to the challenges of modern air warfare, providing the U.S. Air Force a flexible and scalable answer to air superiority in an uncertain world.
