https://warontherocks.com/2019/06/f-...ighter-debate/
F-15EX: THE STRATEGIC BLIND SPOT IN THE AIR FORCE’S FIGHTER DEBATE
......The modern F-15E shows how neatly compartmentalizing fighters into “generations” can be misleading and subconsciously shape our perceptions. Consider the fifth-generation F-35’s much-lauded
sensor fusion. This is enabled by computing power, software, sensors, and algorithms; all items with high potential to scale to other platforms — and they have. Despite the hype, the reality is that almost all current fighters have had some form of sensor fusion for the
better part of a decade. In fact, the newest, largest, and
most capable radar and the
highest computing power on a U.S. aircraft aren’t on a fifth-generation fighter — they’re on the F-15E.
In the time I’ve flown the F-15E I’ve seen it progress through seven major operational software updates (called suites) and various
hardware upgrades, each more integrated and potent than the last. When the
next software upgrade arrives it will have even
more sensors and hardware. In fact, the only limitation keeping it from achieving sensor fusion on par with the F-35 is its cockpit displays. As an example of how sequestration and funding instability drive incoherent budget choices, nearly $12 billion in aforementioned F-15E sensor upgrades are still stubbornly pushed through 1980s displays that use cathode-ray tubes to produce
low-quality analog video that
aren’t even all color, let alone digital, touchscreen, or high-resolution. The impressive F-35 cockpit has all of this, and that makes all the difference. The F-15EX enhanced cockpit displays mirror the newest displays coming to both
F/A-18 Block III and
F-35 Block 4, mostly because they are all made by the
same company.
Figure 9. Boeing F-15E outfitted with AMBER rack prototypes on lower weapon stations. With no other changes, this rack would expand current F-15E missile capacity from eight to 14 AIM-120s. Because it connects via standard bomb attachment lugs, the rack should also easily fit the F-35A inboard wing stations to double its missile capacity for non-stealth air defense missions. (Image: U.S. Air Force.)