 F-15SE
 Internal weapons bay (Source: Boeing)
Boeing and South Korea expected to enter deal for F-15SE Silent Eagle
If
Boeing is able to secure an export license for the F-15SE "Silent
Eagle" jet, the company plans to offer it to South Korea and other
interested clients.
Boeing and South Korean officials have
communicated about a possible deal over the past 12 months, but
Boeing has had to wait until the F-15SE's low-observable jet stealth
technology is evaluated.
The U.S. contractor believes its
fighter jet is ideal because it's customizable and can support larger
digital cockpit displays, AESA radar, newer radar absorbent coatings,
and other features unavailable in older aircraft.
The expected
price tag of the F-15SE is about $100 million, but can
changed depending on the technology and hardware installed.
The
country reportedly "has
asked for information on Silent Eagle so now we've applied
for the [license] and we hope to get that before the end of the
month," said Brad Jones, Boeing F-15SE program manager, in an
interview. "As soon as the export license is provided,
then I can provide [marketing] information to a country."
The
aircraft was publicly
introduced in 2009, and some military analysts believe it could
help fill a possible fighter gap. Boeing was unsure if it would
offer the F-15SE to other nations, but South Korea first asked in
late 2009 -- Boeing filed the necessary paperwork in early 2010, and
expects to receive approval to sell the aircraft.
It's not
uncommon for South Korea, Japan, Britain, and other U.S. allies to
receive U.S. fighter jets in exchange for money and other forms of
compensation -- but the U.S. government must approve of any deals
before they're completed.
The aircraft is a technological step ahead of U.S. jets
in use today (save for the F-22 Raptor), but still doesn't compare to the F-35
Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) from Lockheed Martin.
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