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Probably an Air Force equivalent to the Navy's EA-18 Growler. The Growler is basically an F-18 Hornet, so it's maneuverable like a fighter (and can engage in l

Probably an Air Force equivalent to the Navy's EA-18 Growler. The Growler is basically an F-18 Hornet, so it's maneuverable like a fighter (and can engage in limited combat), but is refitted with equipment for electronic warfare missions and roles (radar and comms jamming, intercept, etc...). The Air Force F-22 can already do some EW, but that is not the F-22's primary role or specialty. Also, there's a limited supply of F-22s and they are very expensive to operate and maintain compared to F-15s. So, this new F-15 does seem fill a niche where F-22s would be overkill and Growlers unavailable (since they're Navy aircraft built for carrier operations).

blaser-waffle 6y ago
I believe the F-35 was supposed to have a SEAD variant or "SEAD-mode". The F-4 Wild Weasel filled that role for a long time until the AF gave up on SEAD and handed it off to the Navy with the EA-6B Prowler. The Prowler did well and was replaced the Growler which has a decent reputation (or so I've heard). Given the mess that the F-35 has been, I'm in agreement with the parent -- this may be a recognition that the AF needs a EW/SEAD fighter like the Growler and the F-35 will have some limitations. The F-15 also has some serious combat persistence, which isn't terrible for an EW/SEAD craft, esp. since anyone thinking about fighting the US is investing heavily in AA, both in technology as well as sheer volume of systems. Having a big "missile truck" with EW makes squashing all of those systems a little easier. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Weasel https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Weasel Disclaimer: I'm legally still a Whidbey Island WA resident and have connections to the Growler project. However, the above points are simply opinions.