Would Be Engineering, Manufacturing And Development (EMD) Variants Of The Airplane

Boeing may be able to deliver two Engineering, Manufacturing And Development (EMD) variants of the F-15EX fighter to the U.S. Air Force as early as 2020, according to company sources.

The Aviation Geek Club reports that the delivery may be made possible because of similarities between the F-15EX and the F-15QA Advanced Eagle that is in development for Qatar. Two of those airplanes may be rerouted to the USAF. Qatar has placed a $6.2 billion order for 36 of the airplanes, with options for another 36, with the first delivery planned to Qatar for March 2021, according to Scramble Facebook News Magazine.

The Air Force has included $986 million in its draft 2020 budget for eight F-15EX fighters, according to the report. They will replace aging F-15 C/D airplanes currently in service. Those airplanes are currently beyond their service life and "have SERIOUS structures risks, wire chafing issues, and obsolete parts," the USAF said in a report published in March. The Air Force says that it cannot achieve its readiness goals due to the older aircraft's need for repairs, structural inspections and modernization efforts.

The USAF reportedly will request 18 of the airplanes in each of fiscal years 2021 -2024, and could eventually acquire 144 of the jets, according to the report.

(Image provided by Boeing)

FMI: Source report