Boeing has announced that it had signed a Direct Commercial Sale agreement with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) to upgrade Japan’s F-15J to the F-15JSI.
Graphic: Boeing
The rendering by Boeing shows the jet carrying a JASSM or LRASM cruise missile on station 5 on the centerline. The aircraft is believed to be armed with the AAM-4 air-to-air missiles as well. The medium-range active radar homing is made by Mitsubishi.
Besides having new air-to-ground weapon, the F-15JSI will have a new cockpit system along with a powerful mission computer. The electronic warfare system will be state-of-the-art, Boeing said in the press release.
On Oct. 30, 2019, the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency cleared the upgrade of 98 F-15J aircraft to the Japanese Super Interceptor (JSI) configuration.
The fighter will be equipped with APG-82(v)1 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar and a Advanced Display Core Processor II (ADCP II) Mission System Computer.
The notice from DSCA also said that the ALQ-239 Digital Electronic Warfare System (DEWS) was approved as part of the Foreign Military Sale pacakge to Japan.
Boeing will provide MHI with retrofit drawings, ground support equipment and technical publications for the upgrade of the first two F-15J aircraft. Work will commence in 2022.
The rendering also suggests that it is a C model being depicted. This means that Japan is turning the single-seat air-superiority fighter into a strike aircraft, something that has never been done by any other air force except the Israelis.
Eight Israeli F-15C/Ds actaully took part in a long-range raid in Tunisia under Operation Wooden Leg in 1985.
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