F-15E Strike Eagles with new electronic warfare suites landed at RAF Lakenheath last week, the first in the fleet to receive the upgrades.
The two fighters arrived at Lakenheath on Jan. 16, bringing with them the Eagle Passive/Active Warning and Survivability System, or EPAWSS, the 48th Fighter Wing said in a release. The wing’s two F-15E units, the 494th and 492nd Fighter Squadrons, will get one each, allowing aviators to train with the new system.
The jets’ arrival came just a few days after the Air Force cleared EPAWSS for full-rate production, starting the upgrade process for 99 F-15Es. The system, manufactured by BAE Systems, includes “integrated radar warning, geolocation, situational awareness, and self-protection solutions,” according to the company.
“Having EPAWSS operational at RAF Lakenheath significantly enhances our ability to detect and counter threats, ensuring the safety and effectiveness of our crews,” said Lt. Col. Timothy Causey, commander of the 492nd Fighter Squadron. “This advanced electronic warfare system, when combined with the F-35s, acts as a powerful force multiplier, transforming our operations and amplifying the 48th Fighter Wing’s impact in the battlespace.”
EPAWSS comes standard on the F-15EX and is the reason why some have called the EX a “generation 4.5” fighter, positioning it between conventional fourth-generation F-15s and fifth-gen F-22s and F-35s. The Air Force says EPAWSS enables equipped jets to “deny, degrade, deceive, disrupt, and defeat radio frequency (RF) and electro-optical/infrared threat systems within contested and highly contested environments.”
Growing competition in the electromagnetic spectrum has set off something of an EW arms race, and the Air Force and its suppliers have been mum about EPAWSS’s specific capabilities. Still, one EPAWSS capability officials have described is “cognitive” EW—referring to the system’s ability to recognize new threats and adapt its response without the pilot’s intervention or input.