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F-15EX Strike Eagle II

AlexLM12
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AlexLM12 Crew Dawg

AlexLM12

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Non-rated Capt here, attempting to go CSO at the next rated board, but do any CSOs in the business have any intel on how the Strike Eagle II replacing the F-15 C/Ds will affect the CSO career field? They will all be two-seaters/WSO capable I've read, but not sure if the AF will use WSOs in the air superiority mission. I imagine they still will for the current Strike Eagles getting replaced by Eagle IIs, but not sure. I've not been able to find any info on that, and I've been super curious. 

nsplayr Gray Beard

nsplayr

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From what I understand the F-15 EX Eagle II is replacing, in part, the single-seat F-15 C/D models, not the F-15E Strike Eagle, i.e. the one with the WSOs onboard. Boeing apparently offered that as a possibility back in 2020, but I haven't seen any movement on that actually happening; perhaps someone in the Strike Eagle community can speak to that more intelligently.

It should not make a big difference one way or the other. Either the Strike Eagle will continue on unchanged, get replaced with a two-seat EX, or by the single-seat F-35, meaning slightly less CSO seats in the Air Force, or who knows. It doesn't really impact you as a individual unless you're actively a WSO in that community already.

And most importantly, don't put the cart before the horse...there are plenty of platforms with CSOs/WSOs/etc. and if you're trying to board for CSO, I would get excited about the possibilities of any/all of them. I might recommend shooting for the U-28 or the AC-130J just based on my experience but YMMV 🇺🇸

Good luck!

  • Upvote 1
mudhen69 Crew Dawg

mudhen69

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To answer at least part of your question, the current plan is to use the EX as a C model replacement. That means a lot of different things depending on who you ask. Some people think that all guard units want is something to go fly CT BFM on weekends, some say they need it for homeland defense, some want it to pick up all or some of a multi role mission.

To answer the other part of your question, Strike Eagles aren't going anywhere, anytime soon. Meaning that you would still be able to fly them for the better part of your flying career, if not the whole career. 

My long term hunch is that it will look something similar to a Super Hornet fleet, with different squadrons picking up different missions depending on pilot only, pilot/WSO, E or EX. That's what I would do if I were king, but I clearly have my biases. 

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  • 2 weeks later...
nsplayr Gray Beard

nsplayr

Posted
Posted (edited)
On 6/20/2022 at 5:16 PM, flying_pig said:


Can I get your thoughts on the potential of being a CSO in the new Armed Overwatch airframe?


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Nothing has been selected yet and I am still in the camp of, "I'll believe it's happening when I see it on the ramp." Light attack and active duty AFSOC MC-12s were ideas that got really close to happening and then just didn't.

It should be really cool overall, and Armed Overwatch will be a replacement for the U-28 fleet (in theory), so talk to an active U-28 CSO and ask them about their job. I'm happy to put you in touch with some if you DM me.

ACJ CSOs should be able to speak competently too since those two communities share a lot of overlap in technology, mission sets, and mentality from my experience at least.

If you want to fly Armed Overwatch, graduate Nav school #1 and rank U-28s at the top of your list. And probably put ACJs #2.

Edited by nsplayr
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  • 4 weeks later...
08Dawg Gray Beard

08Dawg

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On 6/6/2022 at 12:24 PM, AlexLM12 said:

Non-rated Capt here, attempting to go CSO at the next rated board, but do any CSOs in the business have any intel on how the Strike Eagle II replacing the F-15 C/Ds will affect the CSO career field? They will all be two-seaters/WSO capable I've read, but not sure if the AF will use WSOs in the air superiority mission. I imagine they still will for the current Strike Eagles getting replaced by Eagle IIs, but not sure. I've not been able to find any info on that, and I've been super curious. 

Not to bust your bubble, OP, but the only place I’ve heard it called Strike Eagle II is your post. All the official literature calls it the “Eagle II”. That in and of itself is telling as to what Big AF intends to do with this platform, if it even survives. 
 


Read this 

 

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AlexLM12 Crew Dawg

AlexLM12

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  • Author
Posted
12 hours ago, 08Dawg said:

Not to bust your bubble, OP, but the only place I’ve heard it called Strike Eagle II is your post. All the official literature calls it the “Eagle II”. That in and of itself is telling as to what Big AF intends to do with this platform, if it even survives. 
 


Read this 

 

Yes, I think the title of the program does indicate their intent for the platform. I only titled it as such because it is essentially a newly updated Strike Eagle, still with 2-seats, and was wondering if a Strike Eagle II would ever exist. I think it might but only if the F-15 C/D capability gets fully replaced first or if the current Strike Eagle begins to fail in some sense. I'm outside the field so I don't have any insight beyond what's publicly discussed. 

AlexLM12 Crew Dawg

AlexLM12

Posted
  • Author
Posted
On 6/6/2022 at 3:36 PM, nsplayr said:

From what I understand the F-15 EX Eagle II is replacing, in part, the single-seat F-15 C/D models, not the F-15E Strike Eagle, i.e. the one with the WSOs onboard. Boeing apparently offered that as a possibility back in 2020, but I haven't seen any movement on that actually happening; perhaps someone in the Strike Eagle community can speak to that more intelligently.

It should not make a big difference one way or the other. Either the Strike Eagle will continue on unchanged, get replaced with a two-seat EX, or by the single-seat F-35, meaning slightly less CSO seats in the Air Force, or who knows. It doesn't really impact you as a individual unless you're actively a WSO in that community already.

And most importantly, don't put the cart before the horse...there are plenty of platforms with CSOs/WSOs/etc. and if you're trying to board for CSO, I would get excited about the possibilities of any/all of them. I might recommend shooting for the U-28 or the AC-130J just based on my experience but YMMV 🇺🇸

Good luck!

Yeah, I don't even think the F-15E would be my first choice as a CSO anyway, that would be B-1 or AC-130, but I've heard F-15Es tend to drop more than those two airframes and I would want any WSO spot on those or the BUFF over RC-135/AWACS/EC-130

  • 1 month later...
bronxbomber252 Crew Dawg

bronxbomber252

Posted
Posted
Yeah, I don't even think the F-15E would be my first choice as a CSO anyway, that would be B-1 or AC-130, but I've heard F-15Es tend to drop more than those two airframes and I would want any WSO spot on those or the BUFF over RC-135/AWACS/EC-130

On this note, CSO school track selects now. The tracks are Nav, EWO, WSO, and SO (Sensor op) with different aircraft opportunities.

Nav - RC-135 (and variants), AWACS, JSTARS, not sure what else other than ARC C-130H. EC-130’s are being phased out.

EWO- RC-135 (and variants), EC-130 replacement, BUFF, etc…

WSO - B-1, B-52, F-15E

SO - AC/MC/HC-130, U-28 (note: this track is very AC-130/U-28 centric, MC-130 CSOs are closer to navs in reality, and HC-130 CSO’s are somewhere in between) (I’m an HC/MC-130J FTU instructor)
Scooter14 Gray Beard

Scooter14

Posted
Posted

On this note, CSO school track selects now. The tracks are Nav, EWO, WSO, and SO (Sensor op) with different aircraft opportunities.

Nav - RC-135 (and variants), AWACS, JSTARS, not sure what else other than ARC C-130H. EC-130’s are being phased out.

EWO- RC-135 (and variants), EC-130 replacement, BUFF, etc…

WSO - B-1, B-52, F-15E

SO - AC/MC/HC-130, U-28 (note: this track is very AC-130/U-28 centric, MC-130 CSOs are closer to navs in reality, and HC-130 CSO’s are somewhere in between) (I’m an HC/MC-130J FTU instructor)


I don’t think Buff EWOs are dropping anymore according to the Buff guys on my last deployment. There’s some sort of mod to move that functionality to the two WSOs downstairs.
JimNtexas Crew Dawg

JimNtexas

Posted
Posted

I wonder if an F-15EX goes too an air to air unit will they fly it single seat?  Or put a pissed off pilot in the back as they did in early days of the F-4 and F-111?

  • 7 months later...
Lawman Gray Beard

Lawman

Posted
Posted
“tactical interim” - does this make room for an increased F-15EX buy?

https://www.defenseone.com/policy/2023/04/air-force-tries-retire-jets-hascs-wittman-wants-gapfiller/384831/

My druthers aa we are focusing on the China fight, the Eagle 2.0 with CFTs is the right gap filler


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F-15Y…

Write it down. I’m calling it as gonna happen.


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Clark Griswold Gray Beard

Clark Griswold

Posted
Posted (edited)
19 hours ago, RASH said:

How in the hell are we already retiring F-22s?

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Very easily unfortunately but there is a logic too it

Small fleet, expensive support, new hotnesss is the F-35 and money is needed for NGAD, B-21, TPS reports, etc...

F-15EX with a great radar, AIM-260s and cued by F-35s forward and cloaked relaying targets via datalink and you have a good 5.0/4.5 team

Edited by Clark Griswold
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