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F-15SA Development

Article about the birth and development of the F-15SA (Saudi Advanced), the newest F-15 version designed for Saudi Arabia. Packed with cutting edge avionics the F-15SA will play a double role: a very powerful defense package in the Middle-East, and a savior of Boeing's F-15 production line.

Details of a Big Deal

The F-15 is not unknown in Saudi Arabia, since its localized version, the F-15S is in service in the RSAF from 1995. RSAF currently operates a total of 70 F-15S jets together with 66 F-15C single seat and 18 F-15D two-seat models.

Saudi Arabia sought to upgrade their existing F-15S fleet and they wanted to purchase more of the upgraded version. The goal was to have 70 + 84 jets at identical configuration, thus Saudi Arabia requested 84 new F-15SA aircraft, plus an upgrade of its F-15S fleet to F-15SA standards, plus related equipment and weapons. The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency notified the US Congress of this possible foreign military sale on Oct 20, 2010. The equipment list of the aircraft is very impressive:

Engines:

193 F-110- GE-129 engines

Avionics and sensors:

170 APG-63(v)3 AESA radar sets
169 DEWS systems
100 Link-16 datalink systems and spares
40 ROVER systems (Remotely Operated Video Enhanced Receivers)
193 LANTIRN navigation pods with Tiger Eye IRST systems
158 AN/AAQ-33 Sniper targeting systems
169 AN/AAS-42 IRST systems
338 JHMCS systems with 462 JHMCS helmets
462 AN/AVS-9 NVG’s
10 DB-110 reconnaissance pods
80 ACMI (Air Combat Maneuvering Instrumentation) pods

Weapons:

100 M61 Vulcan cannons with 200,000 20mm cartridges and with 400,000 20mm target practice cartridges
300 AIM-9X Sidewinder A/A missiles with 25 AIM-9X CATMs (Captive Air Training Missiles) and with 25 Special Air Training Missiles
500 AIM-120C/7 AMRAAM A/A missiles with 25 AIM-120 CATMs
1,000 dual mode laser/ GPS guided munitions (500 lbs)
1,000 dual mode laser/ GPS guided munitions (2,000 lbs)
1,100 GBU-24 Paveway III LGBs (2,000 lbs)
1,000 GBU-31B V3 JDAMs (2,000 lbs)
1,300 CBU-105D/B SFW/ WCMD
50 CBU-105 inert
1,000 MK-82 500 lb GP bombs with 6,000 MK-82 inert training bombs
2,000 MK-84 2,000 lb GP bombs with 2,000 MK-84 inert training bombs
400 AGM-84 Block II HARPOON missiles
600 AGM-88B HARM missiles

Announcements and Training

Also included are the upgrade of the existing Royal Saudi Air Force ( RSAF) fleet of seventy (70) F-15S multi-role fighters to the F-15SA configuration, the provision for CONUS-based fighter training operations for a twelve (12) F-15SA contingent, construction, refurbishments, and infrastructure improvements of several support facilities for the F-15SA in-Kingdom and/or CONUS operations, RR-188 Chaff, MJU-7/10 Flares, training munitions, Cartridge Actuated Devices/Propellant Actuated Devices, communication security, site surveys, trainers, simulators, publications and technical documentation, personnel training and training equipment, U.S. government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistical support services, and other related elements of logistical and program support.

After one and a half year of negotiations since June 2010, US officials announced the deal on Dec 29, 2011. Valued at 29.4 billion USD, the agreement includes production of 84 new F-15SA aircraft and the modernization of 70 existing F-15S aircraft as well as munitions, spare parts, training, maintenance and logistics.

“The United States is firmly committed to the security of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as we have been for nearly seven decades, and … more broadly, the United States and Saudi Arabia have a strong mutual interest in the security and stability of the Gulf,” said James N. Miller, principal deputy under secretary of defense for policy during a joint State Department and Defense Department briefing. The F-15s Saudi Arabia will receive „will have the latest generation of computing power, radar technology, infrared sensors and electronic warfare systems,” he added.



As part of the agreement, Saudi airmen will be attending Air Force technical training courses at a number of Air Force installations, including Sheppard AFB, TX, and Keesler AFB, MS. Saudi airmen will train alongside their USAF counterparts. USAF will also coordinate English language training for the students at Lackland AFB, TX, officials added.

Officials said that under the agreement, students may begin arriving almost immediately, and in 2012, the service expects to train more than 300 Saudi airmen in Air Force technical training courses.

The program, which includes the largest foreign military sales contract in U.S. history, is being led by Lt. Gen. Thomas Owen, Aeronautical Systems commander and will involve program management personnel at Robins AFB, GA, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH, and Langley AFB, VA, as well as many other Air Force and Navy organizations.

Contracts

US Department of Defense announced on Mar 8, 2012, that the Boeing Co. has been awarded an $11,399,100,000 firm-fixed-price, cost-plus-fixed-fee, time-and-materials contract to fulfill the Foreign Military Sales requirement of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to procure 84 new F-15 Saudi advanced aircraft with systems and munitions. This particular undefinitized contract action covers development efforts for the new aircraft and retrofit as well as procurement of the 84 new production aircraft. The locations of the performance are El Segundo, Calif., Ocala, Fla., and Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Work is expected to be completed October 2020. This contract covers the first part of the overall agreement.

US Department of Defense announced on Apr 2, 2012, that Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control, Orlando, Fla., has been awarded a $410,610,000 firm-fixed-price contract for 95 Sniper advanced targeting pod and spares; 35 compact multiband data link; 70 infrared search and track ( IRST) systems and spares; 75 IRST pylons; and data. Work is to be completed by Nov. 31, 2017.

US Department of Defense announced on Apr 2, 2012, BAE Systems, Nashua, N.H., has been awarded a $366,547,000 firm-fixed-price contract for 70 Digital Electronic Warfare Systems ( DEWS)/Common Missile Warning Systems (CMWS) and spares; three DEWS/CMWS test stations and associated spares; and data. Location of performance is Nashua, N.H. Work is to be completed by Nov. 31, 2018.

http://www.f-15e.info/joomla/en/expo...sa-development

F-15SA Differences

Article about the technical differences between the F-15SA version and the F-15E Strike Eagle. The US technology export did its best this time: Saudi Arabia will receive a jet that is way ahead of the existing F-15S version and when fielded it will be by far the best tactical fighter aircraft in the Gulf region.

We'll discuss technical differences based on the list of items Saudi Arabia ordered in the F-15SA agreement. Not much is known however whether these systems (although installed) will retain their full capabilities or they will be degraded to some extent. For this reason we do not mention this possible degradation when we detail these systems below.

Differences from the F-15E

Engines: Boeing will equip the F-15SA with General Electric made F-110- GE-129 engines, instead of the 'traditional' Pratt&Whitney F100-PW-220 series engines. Besides technical and performance differences, the GE engine can immediately be recognized by its different jet exhaust nacelles.


Electronic Warfare: Instead of the TEWS used in the Strike Eagle, the F-15SA will feature a digital electronic warfare system (developed by BAE Systems), dubbed as DEWS. DEWS was developed by leveraging F-22 and F-35 EW program results and replaces 4 legacy systems of the Strike Eagle. It is fully digital (hence its name) and works in close integration with wideband RF systems, including the AN/APG-63(v)3 AESA radar, giving the jet a very sharp edge in the electronic warfare arena.

DEWS offers full quadrant detection and response control, containing aft receiving antennas on top of the tails, aft RF transmitters and antennas built in the tailbooms, forward RF transmitters and antennas built in the leading edge of the wing roots, forward receiving antennas built in the wingtips and a low band Rx knife antenna placed on the underbelly of the jet below the cockpit. DEWS includes a digital RWR, digital jamming transmitter, ICS and an interference cancellation system. According to Boeing, the system will enables the F-15SA to jam enemy radars while its own radar and RWR continues to operate.
Radar: It is arguably the most important difference between the F-15E and F-15SA models. The F-15SA will be equipped with the APG-63(V)3 radar, the newest of the ultramodern AESA line developed by Raytheon.

Cockpit: Not much is known about cockpit differences. It's certain that Boeing will integrate the Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS) into the system. The cockpit interior lighting will be compatible with night vision goggles ( NVG's). Together with the JHMCS capability, display systems will be compatible with AIM-9X Sidewinder and AIM-120C AMRAAM air-to-air missiles.