Boeing (NYSE:BA) has been awarded a $474.5 million contract by the U.S. Air Force to upgrade the electronic warfare capabilities of Japan's main interceptor, the F-15 Eagle aircraft. The contract was issued on behalf of Tokyo under the Japanese Super Interceptor upgrade program, the Department of Defense announced on Thursday.
The enhancement will involve the installation of a new radar system known as the Eagle Passive Warning Survivability System (EPAWSS). The EPAWSS, developed by UK manufacturer BAE Systems (LON:BAES) (LON:BA) for Boeing, provides fully integrated radar warning, geolocation, situational awareness, and self-protection solutions. The system is designed to build an instantaneous 360-degree picture of the surrounding battle space through the collection of electromagnetic signals.
The upgrade is intended to mitigate the vulnerability of the F-15s to radar detection, which is considered a major weakness of legacy combat aircraft. Boeing contends that advanced avionics and electronic protection measures like EPAWSS can help keep fourth-generation fighters relevant in modern air-defense environments.
An initial $76.4 million is being obligated by the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center from Foreign Military Sales funds at the time of this sole-source contract award. The work is slated to take place in St. Louis, Missouri and is expected to be completed by December 31, 2028.
Japan operates 155 air-superiority fighters of the F-15J variant, produced under license by Japanese manufacturer Mitsubishi (TYO:8058). This version is specific to Japan and is based on the F-15C/D model.
In addition to upgrading its existing fleet, Japan also plans to acquire 147 F-35s, including a mix of conventional F-35A and short take-off and vertical landing F-35B variants. While the F-35s offer improved survivability in contested environments, Boeing's latest F-15EX variant is seen as a powerful complement to stealth fighters like the F-35s due to its substantially larger payload for weapons or fuel.
This contract follows a $471.3 million contract that Boeing secured in January 2022 to develop a suite of aircraft and weapon training systems for the fleet. The U.S. Air Force also has plans to acquire at least 104 F-15EXs, and Boeing is actively pursuing additional customers for this model.
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