On Friday, January 17th, the U.S. Air Force announced the arrival of the first F-15E Strike Eagles equipped with the new EPAWSS countermeasure system, also known as AN/ALQ-250 and produced by BAE Systems. These are two aircraft that have departed from San Antonio towards RAF Lakenheath Air Base in the United Kingdom, which currently houses the USAF’s 48th Fighter Wing.

Regarding this, Brigadier General Jason Voorheis, who serves as the executive director of the Combat and Advanced Aircraft Directorate at the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, stated: “It has taken us a long time to get to this point, but this system is vital to the structure of our 21st-century combat force. The EPAWSS significantly enhances the survivability and lethality of the F-15E Strike Eagle and F-15EX Eagle II, and the fact that the first modifications are being delivered to our frontline fighters at RAF Lakenheath is even more critical.”

Diving into some details, we are talking about the F-15E fighters with the call signs RETRO 51 (airframe 91-0332) and RETRO 52 (airframe 91-0329), which made their journey with the support of a KC-46A Pegasus refueling aircraft. In both cases, the installation work for the new EPAWSS system began in 2023, and according to the report from the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation, they were scheduled to be ready by the second quarter of fiscal year 2024.

It is also important to note that the choice of the aforementioned base is significant, considering that the aircraft from the 48th Fighter Wing stationed there are frequently deployed on missions over European skies and occasionally over the Middle East. The base is home not only to two squadrons of F-15E Strike Eagles, to which the two delivered units belong, but also to two squadrons of stealth F-35A Lightning II fighters.

For now, the EPAWSS system, which has entered full service this month, would provide the U.S. Air Force with significant radio frequency scanning capabilities mounted on highly mobile aircraft. This would allow for the replacement of the more vulnerable RC-135U Combat Sent aircraft currently used for such tasks in more hostile environments, such as the Middle East. Additionally, with a smaller size, the chances of the enemy detecting the aircraft being overflown would be reduced.

Finally, reviewing some of the features that make the new EPAWSS system stand out, it is worth noting that it is designed to increase the capacity to carry flares and decoys by up to 50% compared to previous countermeasure systems, while also reducing its weight. It was designed with a modular, open architecture approach, which is expected to allow the integration of new technologies in the future without significant issues. In terms of operation, the system is capable of providing the pilot with real-time information across a 360-degree range, offering not only information to recognize known enemy systems but also the ability to analyze and classify signals from those that are not. According to USAF plans, about 99 F-15E aircraft will receive this technology, making it standard for the new F-15EX Eagle II.

Cover image: Boeing

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