F-15 Eagle

The F-15 Eagle aircraft is a series of air superiority fighters, designed for the United States Air Force. Production began with the F-15A single-seat and F-15B two-seat (trainer) versions; the current U.S. production versions are the F-15C and F-15D. In the system of fighter generations, it is usually considered fourth generation.

F-15 firing AIM-7 Sparrow air-to-air missile , now replaced by the AIM-120 AMRAAM

While an informal motto for the designers was "not a pound for air to ground", a two-seat fighter-bomber variant, the F-15E Strike Eagle, has proved to be a formidable combat performer.

Role

Before the F-15E was developed, the F-15 series was seen as a "high end" air superiority fighter. Under John Boyd's concept of "high-low", the F-16 Fighting Falcon was the Air Force low end, intended as a fighter-bomber although having significant air superiority capability.

The first F-15A flight was made in July 1972, and the first flight of the two-seat F-15B (formerly TF-15A) trainer was made in July 1973. The first Eagle (F-15B) was delivered in November 1974. F-15s can extend their range both with aerodynamically efficient conformal fuel tanks that effectively become part of the fuselage, as well as wing-mounted drop tanks. Still, they routinely use air refueling.

In January 1976, the first Eagle destined for a combat squadron was delivered. In 1983, a Multistage Improvement Program was begun, with the first production MSIP F-15C produced in 1985. Improvements included an upgraded central computer; a Programmable Armament Control Set, allowing for advanced versions of the AIM-7 Sparrow, AIM-9 Sidewinder, and AIM-120 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles; and an expanded Tactical Electronic Warfare System that provides improvements to the AN/ALR-56C radar warning receiver and AM/ALQ-135 countermeasure set.

The final 43 included a Hughes AN/APG-70 radar, of which Version 1 is a PESA system, but version 2, being deployed experimentally, is a radically improved APESA system

F-15C, D and E models were deployed to the Persian Gulf in 1991 in support of Operation Desert Storm where they proved their superior combat capability. F-15C fighters accounted for 34 of the 37 Air Force air-to-air victories. They have since been deployed for air expeditionary force deployments and Operation Southern Watch (no-fly zone in Southern Iraq), Operation Provide Comfort in Turkey, Operation Allied Force in Bosnia, Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and Operation Iraqi Freedom in Iraq.

Foreign operators

There are a number of foreign operators, including Israel, Japan, and Saudi Arabia, with variants specific to national needs and U.S. export controls.

Specifications

• Primary function: Tactical fighter
• Contractor: McDonnell Douglas Corp.
• Power plant: Two Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-100, 220 or 229 turbofan engines with afterburners
• Thrust: (C/D models) 23,450 pounds each engine
• Wingspan: 42.8 feet (13 meters)
• Length: 63.8 feet (19.44 meters)
• Height: 18.5 feet (5.6 meters)
• Weight: 31,700 pounds
• Maximum takeoff weight: (C/D models) 68,000 pounds (30,844 kilograms)
• Fuel Capacity: 36,200 pounds (three external plus conformal fuel tanks)
• Payload: depends on mission
• Speed: 1,875 mph (Mach 2 class)
• Ceiling: 65,000 feet (19,812 meters)
• Range: 3,450 miles (3,000 nautical miles) ferry range with conformal fuel tanks and three external fuel tanks
• Crew: F-15A/C: one. F-15B/D/E: two
• Armament: One internally mounted M-61A1 20mm 20-mm, six-barrel cannon with 940 rounds of ammunition; four AIM-9L/M Sidewinder and four AIM-7F/M Sparrow air-to-air missiles, or eight AIM-120 AMRAAMs, carried externally.
• Unit Cost: A/B models - $27.9 million (fiscal 98 constant dollars);C/D models - $29.9 million (fiscal 98 constant dollars)
• Initial operating capability: September 1975
• Inventory: Total force, 522

Successor

For the United States, the successor to the F-15 air superiority and probably advanced fighter bomber series is the F-22 Raptor.