By Garrett Reim2021-05-19T23:53:00+01:00
At its Northern Edge 21 exercises in Alaska, the US Air Force (USAF) tested the F-15 conducting an electronic attack to clear a path for a Lockheed Martin F-35 stealth fighter.
The test reveals how the USAF may use its legacy fleet of Boeing F-15E Strike Eagles, as well as its new F-15EXs Eagle IIs, in coordination with its stealth aircraft for air strikes deep into enemy territory. The F-15 used the BAE Systems AN/ALQ-250 Eagle Passive Active Warning Survivability System (EPAWSS).
A Boeing F-15EX Eagle II
The demonstration, which took place on 14 May, was done to help evaluate a tactic improvement proposal that came out of the service’s annual Weapons and Tactics Conference, says the USAF on 17 May. The tactic is part of an effort to minimise “the F-35’s emissions to get closer to the adversary”, the service says. Electronic emissions would betray the stealth aircraft’s location.