- Yes
- No
Boeing F-15K (Phase 2) Slam Eagle - The ROK’s Sledgehammer
Hi and welcome to my 36th, which is about the F-15K (Phase 2) Slam Eagle, hope you like it. 
First of all:
- This is a suggestion for an aircraft we could see in game at some point in the Future , that doesn´t mean next Patch or somewhere in the near Future
- Feel free to share more Information and / or correct me if something is wrong
- Discuss respectfully, any aggressive kind or verbal abuse will be reported, the Forum rules also apply here
- Please, keep distance from Political discussions, comments on that matter will be deleted
Background History
The ROKAF planned to replace the slowly but surely aging F-4 Phantom with newer jets of the 4/4.5 generation. In a selection process, the Eurofighter F-2000 Typhoon, Su-35S Flanker-M, Dassault Rafale and Boeing F-15E Strike Eagle quickly entered the final process. When it finally became clear that Korea was interested in the Rafale, Boeing improved its offer of the F-15E, which received further improvements at the request of the ROKAF and was redesignated as the F-15K, which ultimately won the FX Project. Later on, South Korea signed a $4.2 billion contract with Boeing in June 2002 to purchase 40 F-15K Slam Eagles. Shortly before completing initial deliveries, South Korea ordered a second batch of 21 F-15Ks worth $2.3 billion in April 2008. The second batch was originally intended to include 20 airframes, but was increased by one to compensate a loss in 2006 and unlike the first, powered by the new Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229 EEP engines of which 46 were built under license by Samsung Techwin.
The delivery of the second batch took place as following: 6 were delivered in 2010, followed by another 7 deliveries in March, May, August in 2011 and the last 8 in January, March and April 2012. All deliveries were made on time and within the budget. In 2011, the F-15K Slam Eagles received the AN/AAQ-33 Sniper targeting pod after Lockheed-Martin successfully demonstrated the capabilities of it. The first pods arrived at Daegu Air Base in April 2011, improving the operational capabilities of the F-15K.
The lifespan of the fleet is planned until 2040, as well as a modernization worth 2.73 billion US dollars according to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), which takes place from 2024 to 2034. The upgrade is planned to include new mission computers, an AESA Radar (likely AN/APG-82(V)1 or AN/APG-63(V)3), and also improvements to the F-15K’s integrated Tactical Electronic Warfare Suite (TEWS) equipment.
The F-15K Slam Eagle Overall
The F-15K (Phase 2) Slam Eagle, a development of the F-15E Strike Eagle, serves the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) as a multi-role fighter aircraft. It is designed for long-range precision attacks at day, night and in all weather conditions.
Its equipment differs from the USAFs initial standard F-15E Strike Eagles; added were (also called Tiger Eyes) the AAS-42V IRST, AN/AAQ-33 Sniper ATP and LANTIRN to improve low altitude navigation, situational awareness and target acquisition, as well as a customized Tactical Electronic Warfare Suite (TEWS) to optimize jamming effectiveness which includes the ALR-56C(V)1 RWR, the ALQ-135M jammer and the ALE-47 Countermeasure Dispenser System (CMDS).
The F-15K’s glass cockpit accommodates two crew members, a pilot and a weapons systems officer (WSO). The Kaiser Electronics cockpit display suite includes three color displays, four multipurpose displays, two front control panels, a wide-angle head-up display (HUD) with a large field of view and JHMCS.
The radar of the F-15K is the AN/APG-63 (V)1 equipped with air-air, air-ground and air-sea modes and, thanks to its modularity, can later, with little effort, be converted into an AN/APG-63(V)3 AESA radar.
Apart from the things already mentioned, I probably don’t have to explain to anyone that the F-15K Slam Eagle, as a further development of the F-15E Strike Eagle, has a great strike capability thanks to the literally long-range of weaponry - where I somehow also got my idea for the title “Sledgehammer”…
Armament of the F-15K (Phase 2)
Even though the F-15K Slam Eagle is based on the American F-15E, it also has an arsenal of weapons specifically for the needs of the ROKAF, which does not mean that the F-15E cannot carry them, but rather that South Korea has the focus focuses more on long-range and GPS-guided weapons for air-to-ground missions.
What will probably immediately stand out are the SLAM /-ER (Standoff Land Attack Missile /-Expanded Response) missiles, which are based on the older Harpoon AShM and are known for their standoff capabilities, accuracy, warhead penetration, dive angle and mission planning. The F-15K was also the first variant to use SLAM. But the most noticeble are probably the Taurus KEPD 350K cruise missiles from Germany, which have a range almost twice as long and are much more powerful than the SLAM.
Otherwise, the F-15K Slam Eagle also has JDAMs up to 2000ib (also available for bunker-busting), AGM-84 AShM, LGBs such as the GBU-24 for ground or sea target engagement. Compared to the american Eagle, the F-15K is not capable of using JASSM, and South Korea has never purchased the AGM-130.
For air combat, up to eight AIM-120C-5/7 AMRAAM and up to four AIM-9X (depending on the configuration) are available, which can also be used with a JHMCS (similar to the F-16C Block 50 in-game) on a target can be locked in dogfights. The F-15K Slam Eagle’s offensive armament includes a six-barreled M61A2 20mm Gatling with 501 rounds.
Unfortunately, I have not been able to find official or viable lists of the F-15K’s armament, so the armament list is based on what can be found online (e.g. visually, from displays, etc).
Taurus KEPD 350K Integration
The integration of the Taurus KEPD 350K cruise missile into the F-15K Slam Eagle of the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) came after the USA denied the purchase of JASSM and the lack of a pre-emptive strike weapon with stealth characteristics. The integration of the Taurus KEPD 350K into the F-15K was supported by Taurus Systems GmbH (TSG) and MBDA Germany.
In September 2017, the ROKAF conducted a test launch were the missile traveled a distance of approximately 400 km before hitting its target on an island off the west coast of Korea in the Yellow Sea (picture below). The live exercise demonstrated not only the capabilities of the Taurus cruise missile, but also the striking capabilities of the F-15K.
In 2013, the military made the decision to acquire 170 Taurus missiles for the Air Force’s F-15K fleet, each missile costing about 2 billion won (approximately $1.8 million). Given the successes and importance of this program, a decision in October of the same year was made to acquire an additional 90 missiles to further expand the capabilities and meet growing requirements.
Air-to-Air Missiles
- 4x AIM-9X
- 8x AIM-120C-5
- 8x AIM-120C-7
Guided- / Dumb-Bombs
- Mk.82
- GBU-10
- GBU-12
- GBU-24
- GBU-28/B
- GBU-31(V)1
- GBU-31(V)3
- GBU-38
Air-to-Surface Missiles
- 2x AGM-84D
- 2x AGM-84L
- 2x Taurus KEPD 350K
- 2x SLAM
- 2x SLAM-ER
Specifications, Electronics and Internal
- Crew: 2
- Length: 19,43 m
- Wingspan: 13,05 m
- Height: 5,63 m
- Max. takeoff weight: 36.740 kg
- Powerplant: Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229 EEP
- Dry thrust: 79 kN
- Afterburner thrust: 129.7 kN
- Maximum speed: Mach 2.5
- Service ceiling: 18.290 m
- Rate of climb: 254 m/s
- Thrust to weight: 0.93
- Maximum g-load: +9g / -3g
Thanks for your time, hope you liked it 
[Will add more if there are some (more) important / declassified things]
[PM or comment if a Link or Picture isn´t working]
Sources:
Links
https://www.f-15k.com/
F-15K Slam Eagle | Thai Military and Asian Region
https://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/f-15k-slam-eagle/?cf-view
Raytheon Company: Legacy Radar
F-15K - 나무위키
가수 비, 최신예 F-15K 조종사로 돌아오다 : 네이트 뉴스
https://hungryan.tistory.com/327
South Koreans Select F-15K - Military Information Technology
South Korea to Purchase 40 U.S. Fighter Jets | Arms Control Association
신형전투기 F-15K '슬램이글'로 명명
F-15K Slam Eagle
Military and Commercial Technology: South Korea tests ‘stealthy’ cruise missile in show of firepower to nuclear North
South Korea to upgrade F-15Ks; buy more tankers | News | Flight Global
Future IRST Systems - Teal Group
South Korea To Spend Billions Upgrading Its F-15K Slam Eagle Fighters
https://www.mbda-deutschland.de/pressemitteilung/taurus-systems-gmbh-uebergibt-taurus-kept-350k-an-suedkorea/
South Korea announces successful missile test firing. | TAURUS Systems GmbH
https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/nation/2024/02/113_236398.html
F-15C Eagle's New Infrared Search And Track Pod Spotted At Huge Exercise In Alaska
IRST Pods: Eagle Eyes for Passive Detection
Navy Matters: Tomcat Eyes
Books / Other:
Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229 Engine Enhancement Package (EEP) Product Brochure (Archived PDF)
McDonnell Dougles F-15 Eagle (2nd Edition) - Greg Goebel (2018)
The F-15 Story - The Ultimate Air Dominance Weapon - Jeff D. Noble (2023)