The U.S. Air Force has approved the F-15’s advanced electronic warfare system, known as the Eagle Passive Active Warning Survivability System (EPAWSS), for full-rate production. This approval will facilitate the installation of more units within the existing F-15 fighter fleet.
Designated to enhance the F-15’s capabilities, EPAWSS is manufactured by BAE Systems and is designed to allow the F-15 fighters to monitor, jam, and deceive threats in contested environments. Currently, EPAWSS is a standard component of the new F-15EX Eagle II fleet being constructed by Boeing. The Air Force also plans to retrofit portions of the existing F-15E Strike Eagle fleet with this advanced system.
On January 6, 2024, the Air Force awarded Boeing a contract valued at nearly $616 million for the full-rate production of EPAWSS, with work anticipated to be completed by the end of 2030. This contract encompasses the procurement and construction of 45 sets of production kits—termed Group A and Group B kits—designed for the F-15E. Additionally, it includes spare parts for the B kits, system engineering program management, and long lead materials for both F-15E and F-15EX jets.
The production of the EPAWSS kits will take place in St. Louis, Missouri, and Nashua, New Hampshire. Boeing is also set to continue installation work at its facility in San Antonio, Texas, where installations have been ongoing for operational F-15s since July 2022.
The Air Force is actively modernizing the existing F-15E fleet with the new electronic warfare system to ensure its effectiveness against advanced threats. EPAWSS encompasses capabilities such as radar warning, geolocation, situational awareness, and self-defense, crucial for enabling F-15 aircraft to survive against sophisticated air defense systems and operate deeper inside enemy territory.
Previously, in March 2021, Boeing contracted BAE for the low-rate initial production of EPAWSS, followed by an additional contract in September 2022 to expand production further. According to Kevin Fournier, BAE’s EPAWSS program director, the company is currently on track to support Boeing’s production needs.
In April 2024, BAE announced the successful completion of EPAWSS’s initial operational test and evaluation phase, paving the way for the full-rate production contract. BAE is also enhancing EPAWSS’s functionalities by implementing artificial intelligence, which was tested during the Northern Edge 2023 exercise in Alaska in May 2023. During this exercise, a pair of F-15EX fighters participated in 70 sorties, demonstrating the system’s capacity to rapid response amid new and complex electromagnetic threats.
Currently, the EPAWSS system is operational on F-15 jets situated at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada, and Portland Air National Guard Base in Oregon.
**Author Information**: This report is by Stephen Losey, who specializes in air warfare reporting for Defense News and has a background covering military operations and personnel issues.
