Tel Aviv: Aircraft F-15 C/D that were operated by the US national guard will be flown to Israel after the squadron is being closed. Some of the aircraft will be upgraded to the standard of the same type in the Israeli air force. According to an agreement signed with the Israeli ministry of defence ten F-15 C/D will be flown to Israel who will pay only for the transfer.
Some years ago, the Israeli air force (IAF) received nine F-15 C/D according to a similar agreement. Three have been upgraded and are flying. The others were disassembled for spares.
The Israeli upgrade will include mainly a new avionic suit comprised of Israeli systems. The IAF has decided to acquire additional F-15 dubbed Israeli advanced (IA) which are almost identical to the EX and additional F-35. The signed contract for 50 F-35 is being materialized . The contract for the F-15 IA has not been signed yet.
The F-15EX carries more weapons than any other fighter in its class, and can launch hypersonic weapons up to 22 feet long and weighing up to 7,000 pounds. The IAF wants 25 F-15 EX and in parallel, to perform a massive upgrade of its F-15I’s to the same avionic configuration of the F-15 EX , except for the fly by wire system. In the meantime efforts are being made to keep the current fleet of F-15 C/D fully operational.
-The writer is an Israel-based freelance journalist. The views expressed are of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda
