The US Department of Defense (DoD) announced on 30 December that it has awarded Boeing a US$471.3 million Foreign Military Sales (FMS) contract to launch the F-15 Japan Super Interceptor (JSI) programme for the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF).
According the DoD, the deal provisions for the design and development of an integrated suite of aircraft systems to support modification of the JASDF’s F-15J aircraft and the development, test, and delivery of four weapon system trainers. Work will be performed by Boeing in St Louis, Missouri and is expected to be completed by 31 December 2028.
In October 2019, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) announced that the JSI modification effort – potentially worth up to US$4.5 billion – will see 98 single seat F-15J aircraft equipped with the Raytheon AN/APG-82(V)1 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, the Honeywell Advanced Display Core Processor II (ADCP II) mission computer, and the BAE Systems AN/ ALQ-239 Digital Electronic Warfare System (DEWS). Other enhancements include new aircraft radios and anti-spoofing GPS systems.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) was earlier selected to be the prime contractor for the Direct Commercial Sale (DCS) portion of the deal, with Boeing being a subcontractor in supporting integration of the FMS and DCS elements.
The DCS agreement, which was announced by Boeing in July 2020, will see Boeing provide MHI with retrofit drawings, technical publications, and ground support equipment for the upgrade of the first two F-15J aircraft to the F-15JSI configuration. MHI will be responsible for developing detailed modification plans and putting in place the necessary infrastructure and skilled workforce for upgrade work to commence in 2022.
Many of these upgrades are comparable to those developed under Boeing’s Advanced Eagle programme, which has resulted in Qatar’s F-15QA, Saudi Arabia’s F-15SA, and the US F-15EX platforms.’’
by Jr Ng
