The Obama Administration intends to sell 84 advanced F-15 fighters to Saudi Arabia under a proposed $30 billion arms package, according to press reports. Saudi Arabia already operates a fleet of F-15s. These new aircraft would be a more capable version, but the exact configuration has not been disclosed. The Wall Street Journal reported that the new Saudi airplanes would be comparable to the modern F-15s that Boeing has supplied to Singapore and South Korea in recent years. The company has also been developing a new F-15 variant called the Silent Eagle that has signature-reducing features. Boeing spokeswoman Pat Frost referred all questions regarding the sale to the US and Saudi governments. She did tell the Daily Report Tuesday that Boeing still believes that South Korea, which is looking to eventually procure more new fighters, will be the first Silent Eagle customer.
The use of a military counter-drone laser on the southwest border this week—which prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to abruptly close the airspace over El Paso, Texas—will be a “case study” on the complex web of authorities needed to employ such weapons near civilian areas and the consequences of agencies…
