The Air Force awarded Boeing a $478.8 million contract to develop the Eagle Passive/Active Warning Survivability System (EPAWSS) electronics upgrade for the F-15 Eagle fighter aircraft. In October 2015, Boeing received a $4 billion technology maturation and risk reduction contract to develop new self-defense and electronic warfare systems for the F-15 fleet. With this follow-on award, the program enters the engineering, manufacturing, and development (EMD) phase for work on the F-15C and F-15E variants, according to an email statement from Boeing. The work will be performed in St. Louis, Mo., and is expected to be completed by Aug. 31, 2020. The new system is part of a series of upgrades intended to keep the F-15 operational through the 2030s and into the 2040s. Boeing is partnering with BAE to produce EPAWSS, “a cutting edge electronic warfare system,” according to a company spokesperson. (See also: Long-Term Eagle Options.)
The U.S. supports “a stronger and more capable” European defense, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said during an Oct. 22 press conference in Brussels—but that defense should not duplicate the functions and capabilities of the NATO alliance.