U.S. Air Force F-15EX fighter plane renamed Eagle II

April 7 (UPI) -- The F-15EX variant of the F-15 series of U.S. Air Force fighter planes, was renamed the Eagle II in a ceremony on Wednesday at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.

Lt. Gen. Duke Richardson announced the official designation in a rollout of the plane, which will replace the aging F-15C/D fleet.

A Twitter post on Wednesday said the plane "includes the latest mission and software capabilities, such as an advanced electronic warfare upgrade also fielded on F-15E models."

The U.S. Air Force accepted its first F-15EX from manufacturer Boeing on March 11.

The plane's upgrades include advanced avionics systems and the capability of carrying nearly 30,000 pounds of air-to-air and air-to-ground weapons internally, to minimize its stealth profile.

The Air Force has said that it intends to acquire144 Eagle II planes.

In 2019, the Department of Defense outlined plans to spend nearly $7.9 billion over the next five years to restock its F-15 fleet with upgraded versions of the fighter aircraft.

In July, Boeing received a $1.2billion contract to build the first lot of eight Eagle II planes.