Originally Posted by eaglemmoomin
I'm not sure how all of this qualifies as VLO/LO from the front aspect? It also does not appear to employ any RAM coatings, just a somewhat vague statement about stealth from the frontal aspect?
I’m not sure you’ve understood the F-15SE concept, in fact I’m sure you haven’t. To start with, given the basic aircraft form, it’s never going to be a VLO platform, even Boeing aren’t claiming that in their marketing bumf. Their latest statement says it will only have the level of stealth permitted by the US Government for export – an important issue for all stealth exports, by the way – and the level of stealth will only be comparable to fifth generation aircraft ‘such as the F-35’ from the frontal aspect. In other words, it’s only LO (not VLO) and only then in the head aspect and (these are my words only and I could be wrong) optimized against the air-to-air threat. Regarding the export issue, I think they were granted a license last year.
To achieve that level of RCS reduction they apply RAM to the airframe ‘on key surfaces’ and install the equipment listed in the DCSA notification to Congress, which we’ve all seen (
http://www.dsca.mil/pressreleases/36...orea_13-11.pdf). There are some other airframe changes from the standard F-15E including ‘other 5th generation-type stealth imprvements’. I wouldn’t put too much emphasis on the canted tails as I don’t think Boeing found that to be effective enough to make it worthwhile. That’s not to say they wouldn’t offer it as an optional extra!
That produces an ‘advanced F-15E’ with reduced RCS that can now be employed in two modes, LO or conventional. Its LO (frontal) mode is ‘for day 1 operations’ and requires them to remove all the external stores and replace the CFTs with CWBs. That looks like this:
By all accounts that is where it offers the frontal RCS equivalent to F-35.
The ‘day two onward’ mode is where they hang the full option of F-15E weapons, sensors, pods and tanks on the jet and revert to full-up Strike Eagle mode as the obvious expense of the frontal LO. It would look a lot like an F-15E
So, I think you’re quite right, eaglemmoomin, if you’ve seen a picture with stuff hanging off it, it’s not LO. As for ‘a bit of a management driven lash up’, not really, just an upgrade to the F-15E designed to offer a much lower cost option to the full stealth platforms that are coming. As for crossover from the F-32, some of the technology is linked, but the basic F-15 airframe is, as I said before, never going to look like today’s concept of a LO/VLO aircraft.
I hope that makes sense and explains roughly what the concept is about.
Courtney