F-15SA Fighter Jet

Full Specifications

F-15SA Saudi Advanced Fighter Jet

The F-15SA Saudi Advanced is a heavily upgraded derivative of the F-15E Strike Eagle developed for the Royal Saudi Air Force. Built by Boeing in the United States, it combines the proven F-15 airframe with an active electronically scanned array radar, digital electronic warfare equipment, infrared search and track sensors, and digital fly-by-wire flight controls. The configuration was designed for air superiority, long-range interdiction, precision strike, and other multirole missions.

Saudi Arabia agreed to acquire 84 new F-15SA aircraft while upgrading existing F-15S aircraft to a common standard. The original U.S. Foreign Military Sales package was valued at about $29.4 billion, including aircraft, weapons, sensors, training, infrastructure, and support, so this figure should not be treated as the individual aircraft price.

Speed, Range and Combat Capability

The F-15SA uses two General Electric F110-GE-129 afterburning turbofan engines. Public specifications for the F-15E family place maximum speed at about Mach 2.5 and maximum takeoff weight near 81,000 pounds. The aircraft retains the F-15 family’s large external weapons capacity and adds two additional wing weapon stations, increasing flexibility for air-to-air and air-to-ground stores.

Its sensor suite includes the AN/APG-63(V)3 AESA radar, AN/AAS-42 IRST, AN/AAQ-33 Sniper targeting system, Digital Electronic Warfare System, missile warning equipment, Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System, and Link 16 communications. The U.S. government approved weapons including AIM-9X, AIM-120C-7, JDAM, Paveway, Harpoon, and HARM for the Saudi program.

The F-15SA is not a stealth fighter and has no internal weapons bay. Its advantage comes from speed, payload, sensors, electronic warfare, and long-established F-15 operational maturity.

Manufacturer and Origin

Manufacturer: Boeing
Origin: United States
Primary Operator: Royal Saudi Air Force
Role: Multirole fighter and strike aircraft

Cost and Program

The original Saudi F-15SA acquisition and associated support package was valued at approximately $29.4 billion. A later DSCA accounting document lists a $5.778 million special nonrecurring cost charge for the aircraft, but this is not the aircraft purchase price.+

Variants