|
The Boeing F-15SE Silent Eagle is a proposed upgrade of the F-15E strike fighter by Boeing using stealth features, such as internal weapons carriage and radar-absorbent material. ==Design and development== On 17 March 2009, Boeing first displayed a F-15SE demonstrator. The F-15SE will use fifth generation fighter technologies, such as radar absorbing materials, to reduce its radar cross-section (RCS). Distinguishing features are the conformal weapons bays (CWB) that replace the conformal fuel tanks (CFT) to hold weapons internally (reducing fuel capacity) and the twin vertical tails canted outward 15 degrees to reduce radar cross section.〔 Different levels of RCS reduction were studied.〔Warwick, Graham. ("Boeing Studies Stealth Eagle Options." ) ''Aviation Week'', 11 June 2009.〕 The F-15SE shall have a level of stealth that the U.S. government allows for export, being optimized for air-to-air missions (against X-band radars) and much less effective against ground radars (which use other frequencies).〔("Clarification." ) ''Air Force magazine,'' 23 March 2009.〕 Boeing stated that this stealth will only be in the range of fifth generation aircraft such as the F-35 Lightning II from the frontal aspect.〔Jones, Brad. ("F-15 Future Fighters." ) ''Boeing,'' 16 March 2009 Briefing, p. 19. Retrieved: 18 August 2010.〕 The F-15SE will have a Raytheon AESA radar, and a new BAE Systems electronic warfare system.〔Trimble, Stephen. ("Boeing unveils upgraded F-15 Silent Eagle with fifth-generation features." ) ''flightglobal.com'', 17 March 2009.〕 Weapons can be carried both internally and externally on hardpoints under each wing. New build F-15SEs will be lighter and more fuel efficient than Strike Eagle conversions due to the canted tails, fly-by-wire controls, and digital EW equipment;〔Warwick, Graham. ("Silent Eagle – How Stealthy?" ) 'Aviation Week.'', 12 June 2009.〕 enabling two additional weapons stations on the wings.〔Waldron, Greg. ("South Korea weighs option to replace F-4E Phantoms." ) ''Flight Global'' 14 October 2011.〕 In March 2009, Boeing formally launched the F-15SE for international sales;〔 it was aimed at F-15 users such as Israel, Saudi Arabia, Japan, and South Korea.〔Butler, Amy. ("Boeing Unveils New Stealthy F-15." ) ''Aviation Week'', 17 March 2009. Retrieved: 2 September 2011.〕〔Frost, Patricia, Damien Mills and Paul Lewis. ("Boeing Unveils New International F-15 Configuration: The F-15SE." ) ''Boeing,'' 17 March 2009. Retrieved: 2 September 2011.〕〔Lake, Jon. "Boeing Unveils Stealthy Eagle Variant." ''Air International'', Volume 76, Issue 5, May 2009.〕 Boeing estimated the unit cost as approximately US$100 million, including spares and support; its lower cost compared to fifth generation fighters was intended to appeal to the export market.〔〔Butler, Amy. ("Stealthy F-15 Could Enliven St. Louis Facility." ) ''Aviation Week'', 20 March 2009.〕 In 2009, Boeing began tentative talks with South Korea over the Silent Eagle, but was unable to market it to international customers without an export license from the US government.〔Reed, John. ("Boeing Anticipates Approval To Export F-15 Silent Eagle." ) ''Defense News,'' 7 July 2010.〕 Boeing filed for an export license in early 2010,〔Trimble, Stephen. ("Boeing applies to export F-15SE to South Korea." ) ''Flightglobal'', 25 June 2010. Retrieved: 26 June 2010.〕 and received it in July 2010.〔Trimble, Stephen. ("F-15 Silent Eagle scores two firsts with export license, flight test." ) ''Flight International'', 9 July 2010.〕 In August 2010, clearance was granted to export the F-15SE's radar cross-section treatments and electronic warfare suite to South Korea.〔Sung-ki, Jung. ("US approves sale of stealthy F-15 to South Korea." ) ''The Korea Times'', 12 September 2010.〕 During August and September 2009, Boeing performed RCS testing on an F-15E with different radar absorbent coatings to select a coating.〔Butler, Amy. ("Boeing Looks To First Silent Eagle Flight." ) ''Aviation Week,'' 17 January 2010. Retrieved: 2 September 2011.〕 The first production F-15E (86-0183) was modified to the F-15E1 configuration to serve as a demonstrator. It first flew on 8 July 2010 with a left-side CWB,〔Carder, Phillip and Mary Ann Brett. ("Boeing F-15 Silent Eagle Demonstrator Makes 1st Flight." ) ''Boeing'', 9 July 2010. Retrieved: 18 August 2010.〕〔 and on 20 July 2010 launched an AMRAAM from a CWB.〔Carder, Phillip and Mary Ann Brett. ("Boeing F-15 Silent Eagle Demonstrator Completes 1st Weapon Launch." ) ''Boeing,'' 20 July 2010. Retrieved: 18 August 2010.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Boeing F-15SE Silent Eagle」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|