F-15 Eagle

From Free net encyclopedia

Image:USAF F15.jpg The Boeing (formerly McDonnell Douglas) F-15 Eagle is an American-built all-weather tactical fighter designed to gain and maintain air superiority in aerial combat. It first flew in July of 1972.

A derivative of the aircraft is the F-15E Strike Eagle, a highly successful all-weather strike fighter which entered service in 1988.

1 Design
2 Service history
3 Specifications (F-15C Eagle)
4 External links
5 F-15 in Pop Culture
6 Related content
7 Gallery
- 7.1 Other Aircraft named F-15

[edit]

Design

The F-15's maneuverability is derived from low wing loading (weight to wing area ratio) with a high thrust-to-weight ratio enabling the aircraft to turn tightly without losing airspeed. The F-15 can climb to 30,000 ft. in around 60 seconds. The weapons and flight control systems are designed so one person can safely and effectively perform air-to-air combat.

A multimission avionics system includes a Head-Up Display, advanced radar, inertial navigation system, flight instruments, ultra high frequency communications, tactical navigation system and Instrument Landing System. It also has an internally mounted, tactical electronic-warfare system, "identification friend or foe" system, electronic countermeasures suite and a central digital computer.

The head-up display projects through a combiner, all essential flight information gathered by the integrated avionics system. This display, visible in any light condition, provides the pilot information necessary to track and destroy an enemy aircraft without having to look down at cockpit instruments.

The F-15's versatile APG-63/70 Pulse-doppler radar system can look up at high-flying targets and down at low-flying targets without being confused by ground clutter. It can detect and track aircraft and small high-speed targets at distances beyond visual range down to close range, and at altitudes down to treetop level. The radar feeds target information into the central computer for effective weapons delivery. For close-in dogfights, the radar automatically acquires enemy aircraft, and this information is projected on the head-up display. The F-15's electronic warfare system provides both threat warning and automatic countermeasures against selected threats. Because of the advanced electronics deployed on the F-15, the aircraft was given the nickname "Starship" by users.

A variety of air-to-air weaponry can be carried by the F-15. An automated weapon system enables the pilot to perform aerial combat safely and effectively, using the head-up display and the avionics and weapons controls located on the engine throttles or control stick. When the pilot changes from one weapon system to another, visual guidance for the required weapon automatically appears on the head-up display.

Image:F-15s formation.jpg The Eagle can be armed with combinations of four different air-to-air weapons: AIM-7F/M Sparrow missiles or AIM-120 AMRAAM advanced medium range air-to-air missiles on its lower fuselage corners, AIM-9L/M Sidewinder or AIM-120 missiles on two pylons under the wings, and an internal 20 mm Gatling gun in the right wing root.

Low-drag, Conformal Fuel Tanks (CFTs) were especially developed for the F-15C and D models. Conformal fuel tanks can be attached to the sides of the engine air intake trunks under each wing and are designed to the same load factors and airspeed limits as the basic aircraft. Each conformal fuel tank contains about 114 cu. ft. (3,200 L) of usable space. These tanks reduce the need for in-flight refueling on global missions and increase time in the combat area. All external stations for munitions remain available with the tanks in use. Sparrow or AMRAAM missiles, moreover, can be attached to the corners of the conformal fuel tanks. CFTs degrade performance by limiting the maximum G-forces the aircraft can safely pull. They also cannot be jettisoned in-flight (unlike conventional external tanks). US Air Force only flies F-15E's with CFT's. American CFT's were provided to Israel.

The F-15E Strike Eagle is a two-seat, dual-role, totally integrated fighter for all-weather, air-to-air and deep interdiction missions. The rear cockpit is upgraded to include four multi-purpose CRT displays for aircraft systems and weapons management. The digital, triple-redundant Lear Siegler flight control system permits coupled automatic terrain following, enhanced by a ring-laser gyro inertial navigation system.

For low-altitude, high-speed penetration and precision attack on tactical targets at night or in adverse weather, the F-15E carries a high-resolution APG-70 radar and low-altitude navigation and targeting infrared for night pods.

[edit]

Service history

The largest operator of the F-15 is the United States Air Force. Image:F-15 vertical deploy.jpg The first F-15A flight was made in July 1972, and the first flight of the two-seat F-15B (formerly TF-15A) was made in July 1973. The first Eagle (F-15B) was delivered in November 1974. In January 1976, the first Eagle destined for a combat squadron was delivered. These initial aircraft carried the Hughes Aircraft (now Raytheon) APG-63 radar.

The single-seat F-15C and two-seat F-15D models entered the Air Force inventory beginning in 1979. These new models have Production Eagle Package (PEP 2000) improvements, including 2,000 lb (900 kg) of additional internal fuel, provision for carrying exterior conformal fuel tanks and increased maximum takeoff weight of up to 68,000 lb (30,700 kg).

The F-15 Multistage Improvement Program was initiated in February 1983, 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, AIM-9, and AIM-120A missiles; and an expanded Tactical Electronic Warfare System that provides improvements to the ALR-56C radar warning receiver and ALQ-135 countermeasure set. The final 43 included the enhanced-capability Hughes APG-70 radar which was carried forward into the F-15E. The earlier MSIP F-15C's with the APG-63 were later upgraded to the APG-63(V)1, which significantly improves reliability and maintainability while providing performance similar to the APG-70. A limited number of F-15C aircraft have also been fitted with the APG-63(V)2 AESA radar.

F-15A and B models were utilized by Israel during the Bekaa Valley operation.

F-15C, D, and E models were deployed to the Persian Gulf in 1991 in support of Operation Desert Storm where they accounted for 36 of the 39 Air Force air-to-air victories. F-15Es were operated mainly at night, hunting SCUD missile launchers and artillery sites using the LANTIRN system.

They have since been deployed to support Operation Southern Watch, the patrolling of the No-Fly Zone in Southern Iraq; Operation Provide Comfort in Turkey; in support of NATO operations in Bosnia, and recent air expeditionary force deployments.

[edit]

Inventory

The USAF has an active force of 396 aircraft, with a further 126 in the Air National Guard.

[edit]

Users

The F-15 is also operated by Israeli Air Force (F-15 and F15I Thunder), Japan Air Self-Defence Force (F-15J, F-15DJ) and Royal Saudi Air Force (F-15C, F-15S). In May 2005, Singapore made the decision of replacing its fleet of outdated A-4 Skyhawks with the F-15SG. Negotiations for contract signing are still underway. A special version of the F-15E, the F-15K has been ordered by South Korea, with final assembly of the first example beginning in June, 2004. It will be the first to sport twin F110-GE engines from General Electric, with additional thrust. All previous F-15s had engines from Pratt and Whitney.

[edit]

Controversy

Some members of the military, most infamously the 'Fighter Mafia', a group of strategists that formed in response to early losses in the air-battles of Vietnam, felt that the F-15 was merely an updated version of the F-4, a plane that suffered losses dogfighting in Vietnam.

Criticisms of the F-15's close combat maneuverability, large size and cost led to the development of the F-16, an airplane that complements the F-15 by having strengths in those areas listed.

[edit]

Kill record

Image:USAF F-15C fires AIM-7 Sparrow 2.jpg

As of 2005, the F-15 in all air forces has a combined kill record of 104 kills to zero losses in air combat (at least as confirmed by its users, and excluding the case of a Japanese F-15J that shot down another F-15J in 1995 due to an AIM-9 Sidewinder safety malfunction during air-to-air combat training with live weapons). To date, the air superiority version of the F-15 (F-15A/B/C/D models) has never been shot down by an enemy aircraft (which is disputed), although some F-15s have been claimed by surface-to-air missiles of the Syrian Air Force.

Over half of the F-15's kills were made by Israeli Air Force pilots during the 1982 Lebanon War. The Israeli Air Force shotdown dozens of outdated Syrian MiG-21s (the reported figure varies from 80-92), some MiG-23s, and a couple of MiG-25s. A substantial fraction of these MiGs were shot down by F-15s.

Royal Saudi Air Force F-15 pilots shot down two F-4 Phantoms flown by the Iranian Air Force in a border skirmish in 1984, and shot down two Iraqi Mirage F1 during the Gulf War.

Thirty-four aircraft kills were by USAF F-15Cs in the 1991 Gulf War, mostly by missile fire. After F-15s shot down all of the top Iraqi pilots in the first 3 days of the conflict, many of the later kills were reportedly of Iraqi aircraft fleeing to Iran, rather than actively trying to engage US planes. The single-seat F-15C was used for air superiority, and the F-15E was heavily used in air-to-ground attacks.

An F-15E achieved an aerial kill of an Iraqi helicopter using a laser-guided bomb during the air war. The F-15E sustained two losses to ground fire in the Gulf War in 1991. One F-15E was lost in the 2003 Invasion of Iraq, likely due to crew error, but possibly ground fire.

USAF F-15Cs also scored several Serbian MiG-29 kills during NATO's Operation Allied Force in 1999, again without the loss of an F-15C.

[edit]

One wing is enough?

On May 1, 1983 during an Israeli Air Force training dogfight, an F-15D collided with an A-4 Skyhawk. The right wing of the Eagle was torn off roughly two feet (0.6 m) from the body. The pilot, Zivi Nadavi, disobeyed his instructor's command to eject and managed to land the crippled aircraft successfully. The aircraft was able to land because of the large horizontal surface area of the tail and the amount of lift generated by the engine intake and body. [1]

[edit]

Future

The F-15C/D model is being replaced by the F-22 Raptor. The F-15E however will remain in service for years to come because of its different air-to-ground role and the low number of hours on their airframes. Some USAF F-15Cs have been retrofitted with Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radars and are expected to remain in service with the USAF well past 2020. The Royal Saudi Air Force has purchased several squadrons of long-range F-15S models, the Republic of Korea is purchasing upgraded F-15Ks, and Singapore is purchasing the F-15SG variant.

[edit]

Variants

F-15A : Single-seat all-weather air-superiority fighter version.
F-15B : Two-seat training version, formerly designated TF-15A.
F-15C : Improved single-seat all-weather air-superiority fighter version.
F-15D : Two-seat training version.
F-15J : Single-seat all-weather air-superiority fighter version for the Japanese Air Self Defence Force. Built under licence in Japan by Mitsubishi.
F-15DJ : Two-seat training version for the Japanese Air Self Defence Force. Built under licence in Japan by Mitsubishi.
F-15E Strike Eagle : Two-seat all-weather long-range strike and ground-attack aircraft for the US Air Force.
F-15I Ra'am (Thunder) : Export version of the F-15E Strike Eagle for the Israeli Air Force.
F-15K : Advanced version of the F-15E Strike Eagle for the Republic of Korea Air Force.
F-15S : Export version of the F-15E Strike Eagle for the Royal Saudi Air Force.
F-15SG :
F-15S/MTD : One TF-15A was converted into a short take-off and landing, maneuver technology demonstrator aircraft.
F-15 ACTIVE : One F-15S/MTD was converted into an advanced control technology research aircraft.