BAE to begin low-rate initial production of USAF F-15 EPAWSS

BAE Systems is set to begin low-rate initial production (LRIP) of an advanced electronic warfare (EW) system for the US Air Force (USAF) F-15 aircraft.

Awarded by Boeing, the contract will modernise the F-15 with Eagle Passive Active Warning and Survivability System (EPAWSS).

Following a series of flight and ground tests, the USAF decided to proceed with LRIP.

According to BAE, the EW and countermeasures system provide advanced electromagnetic capabilities, allowing pilots to maintain air superiority during complex missions.

The EPAWSS will offer the USAF F-15 pilots increased mission effectiveness and survivability.

It also allows pilots to monitor, block, and deceive threats in ‘contested airspace’.

The system is equipped with multispectral sensors and countermeasures, signal processing, microelectronics, and intelligent algorithms to deliver capabilities such as situational awareness, geolocation, and self-protection.

F-15 EPAWSS programme manager lieutenant colonel Dan Carroll said: “I’m proud of the overall team for their incredible effort on this programme.

“The LRIP milestone is the culmination of years of hard work by a lot of great people within the government and our Boeing and BAE Systems industry partners.

“EPAWSS will significantly improve the survivability and utility of the F-15, and will be a great complement to what is already a very capable and lethal aircraft.”

During the programme’s Engineering and Manufacturing Development phase, the company will deliver ‘incremental updates to the EPAWSS flight software’.

These updates will add new geolocation and threat identification capabilities.