Forget the F-35 Stealth Fighter: At 87,000,000,000 Operations Per Second, the US Air Force F-15EX Eagle II Is a Real Flying Supercomputer

Summary and Key Points: The Boeing F-15EX Eagle II is not stealthy, and the US Air Force bought it anyway. It flies at Mach 2.5, whereas the stealth F-35 manages Mach 1.6 and the F-22 Raptor manages Mach 2.25. It carries 12 missiles, including the AIM-120D and the AIM-9X. It runs the Advanced Display Core Processor II, a computer that performs roughly 87,000,000,000 operations per second, which drives its radar, electronic warfare, threat warning, and networking. A Pentagon operational test report found it effective in all of its air superiority roles, including against surrogate fifth-generation adversary aircraft — which is the closest thing anyone has to a scoreboard between a fourth-generation fighter and the jets meant to replace it.

The F-15EX Eagle II Is a Flying Computer 

Boeing’s F-15EX Eagle II was built to bridge the capabilities of fourth- and fifth-generation aircraft.

It features pure air speed, highly capable sensing, next-generation weapons, and an expansive payload. While not stealthy, the F-15EX is among the fastest fighter jets in the world, and it is now engineered with a paradigm-changing high-speed computer called the Advanced Display Core Processor II, capable of performing billions of tasks per second.

The abilities to fire hypersonic weapons, travel at speeds of Mach 2.5, and operate with a computer processor capable of 87 billion functions per second are just a few of the breakthrough attributes of the U.S. Air Force’s F-15EX.

Perhaps it should not be so surprising that a Pentagon report several years ago found the F-15EX can be effective in air-to-air combat against fifth-generation aircraft.

F-15EX Eagle II Not Stealthy

As a fourth-generation air platform, the F-15EX seeks to add value to an air campaign by supporting stealthier fifth-generation aircraft with a hefty payload. The F-15EX provides target identification and high-speed maneuvering, key to attack missions. 

In development for many years, Boeing’s F-15EX integrates a series of new technologies intended to propel the aircraft well beyond typical fourth-generation capabilities. It is built with new radar, weapons applications, avionics, fire control, computing, and sensing.

U.S. Air Force Maj. Aaron Eshkenazi, F-15EX Test Director for the 84th Test and Evaluation Squadron, performs preflight procedures for the F-15EX with Lt. Gen. Michael Koscheski, deputy commander of Air Combat Command, at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, January 29, 2025. During his visit, Koscheski gained valuable insights from the 84th TES and 85th TES to help inform future decisions regarding the platform. The future F-15 fleet will complement 5th generation aircraft, bringing substantial additional capacity for over-sized long-range fires, sensors, and electronic warfare capabilities to defend critical locations in highly contested areas. (U.S. Air Force photo by 1st Lt. Rebecca Abordo)

A U.S. Air Force F-15 Eagle II flies during a large show-of-force formation over Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, Mar. 6, 2019. CN19 is a long-standing exercise designed to enhance multilateral air operations amongst partner nations and includes humanitarian assistance and disaster relief airlift operations as well as large-force employment. Approximately 2,000 U.S. Airmen, Marines, and Sailors participated alongside approximately 800 RAAF and JASDF members during the exercise. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Senior Airman Xavier Navarro)

A Department of Test & Evaluation report from several years ago highlighted some of the attributes of the F-15EX shown in testing.

“Against the level of threat tested, the F-15EX is operationally effective in all its air superiority roles, including defensive and offensive counter-air against surrogate fifth-generation adversary aircraft, as well as basic air-to-ground capability against the tested threats,” the report states.

F-15EX Speed and Sensing

What makes an F-15EX potentially competitive against fifth-gen aircraft starts with speed—both air speed and high-speed computing—and continues with superior sensor range and fidelity. As mentioned, several years ago the F-15 was integrated with the fastest jet-computing processor in the world. 

It enables highly effective networking, EW, radar, and threat-warning systems, and helps the aircraft unlock its potentially paradigm-changing propulsion technologies and attack capabilities. 

This could indeed make it a threat to even an F-35 or F-22 in air combat. 

Non-Stealthy F-15EX

With its speed of Mach 2.5, the F-15EX is faster than both the Mach-1.6 F-35 and Mach-2.25 F-22.

The F-15EX is not only engineered to attain new levels of thrust, but it also carries 12 missiles, which may include the AIM-120D, AIM-9X, and standard JDAMS, among others.

F-22 Raptor Diagram from National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. Image Credit: Harry J. Kazianis.

While there have been significant software upgrades to the AIM-120D and AIM-9X that improve targeting, guidance, jamming countermeasures, and explosive effects, some of the newer weapons could be even more groundbreaking. The F-15EX, for example, will eventually carry and fire air-launched hypersonic weapons.

An air-fired missile traveling at five times the speed of sound could eliminate an enemy’s ability to respond in time. 

New F-15 Weapons

The Air Force has now also armed its F-15EX Eagle II with the well-known Stormbreaker, a first-of-its-kind air-to-air bomb able to find, track, and destroy moving targets from distances as far as 40 nautical miles in all weather conditions. 

Not only does the Stormbreaker utilize a two-way data link enabling it to adjust course in flight according to a target’s movements, but the weapon is engineered with a tri-mode seeker. This targeting and sensing technology uses millimeter-wave, infrared, and laser guidance to track and eliminate targets.

The DOT&E report does mention that the F-15EX may not have been tested against the most advanced available threats. It may not be fully fair to compare it with an F-35.

F-35 at the Smithsonian. Image taken on 7/8/2026 by 19FortyFive Staff.

But many analysts regard the F-35 as a so-called “flying computer” with superior fidelity, range, and integration in its sensing, radar, threat-warning, and information-sharing systems. This is quite similar to the description of the F-15EX Eagle II. 

About the Author: Kris Osborn 

Kris Osborn is the President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a highly qualified expert in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University.