The organizers of the Athens Flying Week announced that the Royal Saudi Air Force will send one of their most advanced fighters the Boeing F-15SA Eagle to perform a very rare flying display at the event.

Saudi Arabia is one of the biggest operators of Boeing-made defence platforms in the Middle East region, with 207 F-15 SA, and 62 F-15 Eagle jet fighters in service. The F-15SA (Saudi Advanced) is a derivative of the two-seat F-15E Strike Eagle multi-role fighter and is the most advanced variant of the Eagle in service. The aircraft is equipped with a Raytheon AN/APG-63(V)3 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, a BAE Systems digital electronic warfare system/common missile warning system (DEWS/CMWS), and other advanced avionics systems.

The first locally converted Boeing F-15SR performed its initial functional check flight (FCF) from Riyadh International Airport on January 15 2020. The F-15SR designation is applied to F-15S Strike Eagle aircraft converted to the latest F-15SA standards.

The F-15SA programme for Saudi Arabia includes the conversion of all surviving F-15S aircraft to the new standard, and 70 upgrade kits were ordered at the same time as the new-build aircraft. The first two conversions were undertaken at Boeing’s facilities at St Louis, one by a Saudi team from AAI. These two aircraft were delivered (with the first two F-15SAs) in December 2016. The F-15SR conversion programme will take six years, with the final aircraft to be handed over by June 2026.

The fighter features two weapons stations to increase their cargo facility of lethal weapons. It is also able to hoist the latest high-tech weapons, which are:

- The ASM-135 missile, which is an anti-satellite missile, the aircraft could launch it from a height of 11.6 km and an inclination angle of 65 degrees at the speed of 1.2 Mag.

- The Aim 120 C7 AMRAAM, Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile.

- Aim 9X Sidewinder, which is a short-range air-to-air missile.

- AGM 88B, tactical, air-to-surface anti-radiation missile

- AGM 84 HARPOON Block II, an all-weather, over-the-horizon, anti-ship missile

The F-15SA is a very capable machine with sophisticated features including a full fly-by-wire flight control system, APG-63V3 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, digital electronic warfare and radar warning suite.

Unlike many fighters, the F-15SA has a missile launch detection system, and an infrared search and track system. The F-15SA also features F-110- GE-129 engines, capable of putting out almost 30,000 pounds of thrust.

The fighter is able to double the missile carrying capability of the F-15C or F-15E and is able to carry weapons for long-range stand-offs and deep-strike, the suppression of enemy air defences (SEAD), counter-air, direct precision attack and standoff precision attack on the jet at the same time.

Its Infrared Search and Track system combined with its radar’s low probability of intercept modes, advanced radar warning receiver and Link 16 data-link, allows the F-15SA to hunt for enemy aircraft in electromagnetic silence while still maintaining high-situational awareness.

The Boeing F-15SA Eagle is only a part of the spectacular lineup at this year’s Athens Flying which will feature almost every type of aircraft in service in the Hellenic Armed Forces as well as the Swiss Hornet Display Team, Rafale Solo Display Team the Polish Air Force Aerobatic Team Orlik and many others.