A ‘Failed’ Stealth F-15 Is a Major Reason Why the F-15EX Eagle II Is Flying Today

What you need to know: The F-15EX Eagle II, America’s newest advanced fighter, owes its origins to the F-15SE Silent Eagle, a “fourth generation plus” design conceived as a stealthier evolution of the F-15. The F-15SE featured radar-absorbent materials and internal weapons bays, utilizing stealth capabilities typically found in fifth-generation fighter jets.

Although it never advanced beyond the design phase due to the focus on fifth-generation fighters such as the F-35, the Silent Eagle’s innovations had a major influence on the F-15EX.

-With improved range, payload and survivability, the F-15EX incorporates many F-15SE features, making it a cost-effective solution for modern air superiority without the steep costs of fifth-generation platforms.

Origin Story: How the F-15SE Silent Eagle Inspired the F-15EX Eagle II

America’s latest variant of its ubiquitous F-15, the F-15EX Eagle II, is quickly gaining media attention due to its improved capabilities. Seen as an attempt to offer next generation capabilities without the cost of the fifth-generation fighter aircraft in the US arsenal, few people probably realize that the F-15EX’s origins go much further back in the annals of US aerospace history.

In fact, there is one specific model of the F-15 that never really took off in terms of interest, but serves as a precursor to the F-15EX Eagle II.

I give you the F-15SE ‘Silent Eagle’. This bird was intended to couple the popular capabilities of the F-15 with a stealth capability that until recently was lacking in the US fleet of fourth-generation fighters. This proposed bird was cut down before it could even fly because of the introduction of the fifth generation fighter aircraft.

The F-15SE Silent Eagle

The F-15SE “Silent Eagle” was born at a time when US defense companies were competing to see whether the military would buy fifth-generation fighters (particularly the F-35) or if they would simply want an improved fourth-generation . aeroplane. The F-15SE was an improved bird of the fourth generation.

The Air Force popular a new air superiority platform that could have a maximum takeoff weight of 40,000 pounds and a top speed of Mach 2.5. Additionally, the Pentagon wanted to upgrade the single-engine engines they had often used in favor of a twin-engine paradigm so that the proposed F-15SE could better handle gas changes. McDonnell-Douglas was selected as the platform’s designer.

Just like the F-15EX Eagle II as it is described today, the F-15SE was a “fourth generation plus” fighter. It had the affordability of a fourth-generation platform, but with fifth-generation fighter extensions, including stealth capabilities. Features normally found today on the F-22A Raptor or even the F-35 Lightning II were first placed on the F-15SE. The Silent Eagles had radar-absorbent material along their bodies, as well as an internal weapons carriage to reduce the radar cross-section (thereby improving the aircraft’s stealth).

Furthermore, the Pentagon planned for the F-15SE to become an export vehicle. Saudi Arabia and South Korea, long-time traditional US partners, had (at least initially) expressed interest in this platform. It is believed that at the time of its unveiling, the Silent Eagle was more advanced than many of its competitors, even beating the Eurofighter Typhoon and the Russian Su-35.

However, the aircraft never progressed beyond the design phase.

The connections between the Silent Eagle and the Eagle II

Although, according to Maya Carlin writes on these pages: “Some components and designs (of the F-15SE) have been incorporated into the latest F-15 iteration.” Carlin believes that “the F-15EX Eagle II can shoot significantly further than any other fighter in the Air Force fleet (and) does not sacrifice payload on survivability, making it the potential new backbone of the service.” In addition, the F-15EX Eagle II 15EX Eagle II has much more armament than the F-15SE would have (or any other F-15 variant).

Still, the fact that the F-15EX Eagle II is essentially an improved version of the legendary F-15SE Silent Eagle makes the newer F-15 model a very attractive fighter.

About the author

Brandon J. Weicherta national security of national importance analystis a former congressional staffer and geopolitical analyst who contributes to The Washington Times, the Asia Times and The-Pipeline. He is the author of Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His next book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine, is available wherever books are sold. Weichert can be followed on Twitter @WeTheBrandon.