Boeing, Air Force, Air National Guard Roll Out 1st Operational F-15C with Enhanced Radar

JACKSONVILLE, Fla., April 12, 2010 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] representatives joined the U.S. Air Force and Florida Air National Guard (ANG) in Jacksonville today to roll out the first operational ANG F-15C equipped with an Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar. Boeing is under contract to upgrade 14 ANG and 10 Air Force F-15C/D aircraft with AESA.

The Raytheon APG-63(V)3 AESA radar being installed on the F-15s combines the operationally proven APG-63(V)2 software with the advanced APG-79 Transmit/Receive hardware found on the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. It is a reliable and affordable high-performance AESA for the F-15 air-to-air variant. The AESA radar antenna is 50 times more reliable than the mechanically scanned antenna it replaces.

“The (V)3 AESA radar will greatly improve F-15 pilots’ situational awareness, beyond-visual-range targeting, and weapon accuracy,” said Jim Means, director of Proprietary Programs for Boeing Global Strike Systems. “The new radar also enhances the capability to find and track small targets at low altitude -- a capability the ANG will employ in its Homeland Defense Air Sovereignty role. The addition of a built-in test function on the AESA antenna makes the (V)3 easier to maintain.”

The APG-63(V)3 radar is the latest in a series of planned upgrades that will ensure the F-15C’s combat-proven air supremacy well into the 21st century. These include a fighter-to-fighter data link, GPS navigation and the Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System, enabling the fighter to conduct network centric operations while employing the latest air-to-air weapons.