BAE Systems has been awarded a $367m contract to support and upgrade the Royal Saudi Air Force’s F-15S fighter jets with superior electronic capability.
Under the contract, awarded through the US Foreign Military Sales route, BAE will deliver 70 Digital Electronic Warfare Systems (DEWS)/Common Missile Warning Systems (CMWS) to upgrade the fighter jets.
BAE Systems product line director John Nyilis said the upgrade will allow the Kingdom’s existing fighter F-15 fighter aircraft to match the capabilities of the next generation of F-15 SA fighter jets currently in development.
"Our DEWS/CMWS product can be modified for a wide variety of platforms, providing our customers with the ability to ensure system commonality," Nyilis added.
The integrated digital electronic warfare system protects legacy and new platforms by providing advanced radar warning and countermeasure capabilities.
The system also enhances the aircraft’s situational awareness, offensive targeting support, and self-protection capabilities.
The RSAF has been using the single-seat F-15S variant since 1990s, which is similar to the US Air Forces’ synthetic aperture mode F-15E Strike Eagle aircraft.
Saudi Arabia had signed an agreement with the US for the procurement of 84 F-15s in the new version, F-15 Saudi Advanced (SA) for $29.4bn in December 2011 including related equipment and services and upgrades for the older F-15Ss.
The F-15SA aircraft has a fly-by-wire flight control system and is integrated with Raytheon-built APG-63(V)3 active electronically scanned array radar and twin General Electric F110-129 turbofans as well as other advanced hardware.
Work on the contract will be carried out at the company’s facility in New Hampshire, New Jersey, and Texas, US and is scheduled to be completed by November 2018.
The electronic capability will be delivered to Warner Robins Air Logistics Center in Georgia, US.
Image: BAE-built F-15 fighter aircraft flies over Afghanistan. Photo: BAE Systems.
