Summary and Key Points: Kris Osborn examines Boeing’s F-15EX Eagle II, a fourth-generation fighter bridging the gap to the fifth. A DOT&E report found it operationally effective in counter-air roles against surrogate fifth-generation aircraft. It flies Mach 2.5, faster than the Mach 1.6 F-35 and Mach 2.25 F-22, carries 12 missiles including AIM-120D and AIM-9X, runs the Advanced Display Core Processor II at 87 billion operations per second, now fields the 40-nautical-mile multi-mode seeker StormBreaker, and will eventually fire air-launched hypersonic weapons.
The F-15EX Eagle II Is a Boeing Masterpiece
Boeing built the F-15EX Eagle II to bridge the capabilities of fourth- and fifth-generation aircraft.
It features pure air speed, advanced sensing, next-generation weapons, and a large payload.
While not stealthy, the F-15EX is among the fastest fighter jets in the world, and it is now engineered with a paradigm-changing high-speed computer called the Advanced Display Core Processor II, capable of performing billions of tasks per second.
The ability to fire hypersonic weapons, travel at Mach 2.5, and run on a processor capable of 87 billion functions per second are just a few breakthrough attributes of the U.S. Air Force’s F-15EX.
It’s not surprising that a Pentagon report from several years ago found the F-15EX can be effective in air-to-air combat against fifth-generation aircraft.
F-15EX Eagle II Not Stealthy
As a fourth-generation air platform, the F-15EX seeks to add value to an air campaign by supporting stealthier fifth-generation aircraft with a hefty payload. The F-15EX provides target identification and high-speed maneuvering, key to attack missions.
In development for many years, Boeing’s F-15EX integrates a series of new technologies intended to propel the aircraft well beyond typical fourth-generation capabilities. It is built with new radar, weapons applications, avionics, fire control, computing, and sensing.
A U.S. Air Force F-15EX Eagle II assigned to Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, releases flares over the Gulf Coast, April 3, 2026. The 96th Test Wing and 53rd Wing perform developmental and operational test series on the platform including next-generation survivability, radars, sensors and networking capabilities. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech Sgt Thomas Barley)
A U.S. Air Force F-15EX Eagle II assigned to Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, flies a training mission over southeast United States, March 23, 2026. The 96th Test Wing and 53rd Wing perform developmental and operational test series on the platform including next-generation survivability, radars, sensors and networking capabilities. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Blake Wiles)
Gen. Adrian Spain, commander of Air Combat Command, right, dons a flight helmet alongside, Lt. Col. Aaron Eshkenazi, F-15EX Test Director for the 84th Test and Evaluation Squadron, before a flight at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, March 9, 2026. As of Fiscal Year 2026, the U.S. Air Force’s current fleet of 98 F-15EX’s is slated to grow to 129. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Christian Conrad)
A Department of Test & Evaluation report from several years ago highlighted some of the attributes of the F-15EX shown in testing.
“Against the level of threat tested, the F-15EX is operationally effective in all its air superiority roles, including defensive and offensive counter-air against surrogate fifth-generation adversary aircraft, as well as basic air-to-ground capability against the tested threats,” the report states.
F-15EX Speed and Sensing
What makes an F-15EX potentially competitive against fifth-gen aircraft starts with speed—both air speed and high-speed computing—and continues with superior sensor range and fidelity. As mentioned, several years ago the F-15 was integrated with the fastest jet-computing processor in the world.
It enables highly effective networking, EW, radar, and threat-warning systems, and helps the aircraft unlock its potentially paradigm-changing propulsion technologies and attack capabilities.
This could indeed make it a threat to even an F-35 or F-22 in air combat.
Non-Stealthy F-15EX
With its speed of Mach 2.5, the F-15EX is faster than both the Mach-1.6 F-35 and Mach-2.25 F-22.
The F-15EX is nngineered to adeliver higherthrust,bandcarries 12 missiles, wincludingthe AIM-120D, AIM-9X, and standard JJDAMs among others.
While there have been significant software upgrades to the AIM-120D and AIM-9X that improve targeting, guidance, jamming countermeasures, and explosive effects, some of the newer weapons could be even more groundbreaking. The F-15EX, for example, will eventually carry and fire air-launched hypersonic weapons.
An air-fired missile traveling at five times the speed of sound could eliminate an enemy’s ability to respond in time.
The Air Force’s newest fighter, the F-15EX Eagle II, was revealed and named during a ceremony April 7 at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. The aircraft will be the first Air Force aircraft to be tested and fielded from beginning to end, through combined developmental and operational tests. (U.S. Air Force photo/Samuel King Jr.)
A formation of four U.S. Air Force F-15EX Eagle II fighter jets, assigned to Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, fly over the Gulf of America, Nov. 21, 2025. Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink flew in the backseat of the lead jet as part of his visit to Eglin AFB. The flight oriented Meink to F-15EX tactics, techniques and procedures being developed and advanced by the 53d Wing to include weapons capacity, next-gen survivability, and next-generation radars, sensors and networking capabilities. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Blake Wiles)
New F-15 Weapons
The Air Force has now also armed its F-15EX Eagle II with the well-known Stormbreaker, a first-of-its-kind air-to-air bomb able to find, track, and destroy moving targets from distances as far as 40 nautical miles in all weather conditions.
Not only does the Stormbreaker utilize a two-way data link enabling it to adjust course in flight according to a target’s movements, but the weapon is engineered with a tri-mode seeker. This targeting and sensing technology uses millimeter-wave, infrared, and laser guidance to track and eliminate targets.
The DOT&E report does mention that the F-15EX may not have been tested against the most advanced available threats. It may not be fully fair to compare it with an F-35.
But many analysts regard the F-35 as a so-called “flying computer” with superior fidelity, range, and integration in its sensing, radar, threat-warning, and information-sharing systems. This is quite similar to the description of the F-15EX Eagle II.
About the Author: Kris Osborn
Kris Osborn is the President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a highly qualified expert in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University.