BAE Systems’ Cutting-Edge Eagle Passive Active Warning System for F-15 Triumphs in Operational Trials
The U.S. Air Force has recently finalized the Initial Operational Test & Evaluation (IOT&E) of the Eagle Passive Active Warning Survivability System (EPAWSS), confirming the transformative capabilities that BAE Systems’ state-of-the-art system introduces to the F-15. EPAWSS offers essential electronic warfare (EW) functionalities for the F-15E Strike Eagle and the F-15EX Eagle II aircraft.
“EPAWSS was developed for enhancement and swift capability integration,” stated Amy Nesbitt, EPAWSS program manager at BAE Systems. “We’re implementing agile software methodologies to deliver incremental updates to deployed EW systems—empowering our clients to counter future electromagnetic challenges.”
EPAWSS delivers immediate full-spectrum EW capabilities—including radar alerts, geolocation, situational awareness, and self-defense. The system facilitates operational flexibility and allows for deeper incursion into combat zones shielded by modern integrated air defense networks.
“EPAWSS signifies a technological advancement, augmenting the lethality and operational efficiency of the F-15E and F-15EX in contested and compromised environments against sophisticated threats,” remarked Maj Bryant “Jager” Baum, EPAWSS Test Director for the Air Force Operational Test & Evaluation Center (AFOTEC). “EPAWSS has established the standard for EW in the fighter domain.”
BAE Systems aided AFOTEC in carrying out the EPAWSS IOT&E and is currently engaged in producing and deploying one of the globe’s most advanced EW systems, enhancing the F-15’s capability to execute combat operations. The enterprise is collaborating closely with Boeing and the U.S. Air Force to bolster the system’s precise EW functionalities, including the implementation of cognitive EW, as illustrated during the Northern Edge 2023 (NE23) extensive force exercise test scenario.
“Our strong partnership with the U.S. Air Force enables us to advance EPAWSS cognitive processing abilities,” stated Chip Mosle, program director at BAE Systems. “By progressively testing and deploying cognitive EW solutions to established systems like EPAWSS, we facilitate tactical spectrum superiority against advanced threats that are erratic, evolving, and versatile.”
The NE23 event assessed EPAWSS’ capacity to swiftly respond to novel electromagnetic threats. The evaluations tested the system’s ability to analyze in-mission sensor data, develop intricate techniques, and optimize waveforms instantaneously. Moreover, the NE23 setting challenged the system to perform tasks within a congested, unpredictable electromagnetic environment at a theater-exercise scale.
BAE Systems manages the EPAWSS initiative at its facilities in Nashua, New Hampshire, and Austin, Texas, actively fabricating EPAWSS hardware in support of F-15EX new-aircraft assembly and F-15E aircraft fleet updates.
