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F-15E Strike Eagle. (USAF / Senior Airman Trevor T. McBride)
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The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F-15E Strike Eagle is an American all-weather multirole strike fighter derived from the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle. The F-15E was designed for long-range, high-speed interdiction without relying on escort or electronic-warfare aircraft
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| F-15E Strike Eagle. (USAF / Tech. Sgt. Matthew Plew) |
The F-15E deep-strike mission is a radical departure from the original intent of the F-15 since it was designed as an air-superiority fighter under the mantra "not a pound for air-to-ground." The basic airframe, however, proved versatile enough to produce a very capable strike fighter.
The F-15E, while designed for ground attack, retains the air-to-air lethality of the F-15, and can defend itself against enemy aircraft.
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F-15E Strike Eagle. (USAF / Staff Sgt. Alexander Martinez)
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The first flight of the F-15A was made in July 1972. In November 1974, the first Eagle was delivered to the 58th Tactical Fighter Training Wing at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona, where training began in both F-15A and B aircraft.
The single-seat F-15C and two-seat F-15D models entered the Air Force inventory in 1979 and were first delivered to Kadena Air Base, Japan.
The first production model of the F-15E was delivered to the 405th Tactical Training Wing, Luke AFB, Ariz., in April 1988.
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F-15E Strike Eagle. (USAF / Tech. Sgt. Matthew Plew)
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The F-15E is the latest version of the Eagle, a Mach 2.5-class twin-engine fighter. More than 1,500 F-15 are in service worldwide with the US Air Force, US Air National Guard and the air forces of Israel, Japan and Saudi Arabia, including over 220 F-15E fighters.
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F-15C Eagle and F-15E Strike Eagle. (USAF / Senior Airman Erin Trower)
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The F-15E carries most air-to-ground weapons in the USAF inventory. It is also armed with AIM-9 Sidewinders and AIM-120 AMRAAMs, retaining the counter-air capabilities of its Eagle lineage, being fully capable of Offensive-Counter-Air operations.
Like the F-15C, it also carries an internally mounted General Electric M61A1 20 mm cannon with 500 rounds, which is effective against enemy aircraft and "soft" ground targets.
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F-15E Strike Eagle. (USAF / Senior Airman Erin Trower)
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The F-15E is powered by two Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-220 or 229 engines that incorporate advanced digital technology for improved performance. For example, with a digital electronic engine control system, F-15E pilots can accelerate from idle power to maximum afterburner in less than four seconds, a 40 percent improvement over the previous engine control system.
Faster engine acceleration means quicker takeoffs and crisper response while maneuvering. The F100-PW-220 engines can produce 50,000 pounds of thrust (25,000 each) and the F100-PW-229 engines 58,000 pounds of thrust (29,000 each).
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F-15E Strike Eagle. (USAF / Master Sgt. Joshua L. DeMotts)
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For extended range, the F-15E is fitted with two conformal fuel tanks (CFTs) that hug the fuselage to produce lower drag than conventional underwing/underbelly drop tanks. They carry 750 U.S. gallons (2,800 L) of fuel, and house six weapons hardpoints in two rows of three in tandem.
Unlike conventional drop tanks, CFTs cannot be jettisoned, thus the increased range is offset by the increased drag and weight compared to a "clean" configuration.
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F-15E Strike Eagle. (USAF / Master Sgt. Kevin Wallace)
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The F-15E superior maneuverability and acceleration are achieved through its high engine thrust-to-weight ratio and low-wing loading. It was the first U.S. operational aircraft whose engines' thrust exceeded the plane's loaded weight, permitting it to accelerate even while in vertical climb.
Low-wing loading (the ratio of aircraft weight to its wing area) is a vital factor in maneuverability and, combined with the high thrust-to-weight ratio, enables the aircraft to turn tightly without losing airspeed.
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F-15E Strike Eagle. (USAF / Master Sgt. Lee Osberry)
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The APG-70 radar system allows aircrews to detect ground targets from long ranges. One feature of this system is that after a sweep of a target area, the crew freezes the air-to-ground map then goes back into air-to-air mode to clear for air threats.
During the air-to-surface weapon delivery, the pilot is capable of detecting, targeting and engaging air-to-air targets while the WSO designates the ground target.
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F-15E Strike Eagle. (USAF / Staff Sgt. Alexandria Brun)
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The AN/AAQ-13 navigation pod contains a terrain-following radar which allows the pilot to safely fly at a very low altitude following cues displayed on a HUD; it also can be coupled to the autopilot to provide "hands off" terrain-following capability. This pod also contains a forward-looking infrared system which is projected on the HUD, typically used during nighttime or low-visibility operations.
The nav pod is installed beneath the right engine intake. The targeting pod contains a laser designator and a tracking system that mark an enemy for destruction as far away as 10 mi (16 km). Once tracking has started, targeting information is automatically handed off to infrared homing air-to-surface missiles or laser-guided bombs.
The targeting pod is mounted beneath the left engine intake; configurations may be either the AN/AAQ-14 Target Pod, AN/AAQ-28 LITENING Target Pod, or the AN/AAQ-33 Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod.
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F-15E Strike Eagle. (USAF / Airman 1st Class Bailee A. Darbasie)
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The tactical electronic warfare system (TEWS) integrates all countermeasures on the craft: radar warning receivers, radar jammer, radar, and chaff/flare dispensers are all tied to the TEWS to provide comprehensive defense against detection and tracking. This system includes an externally mounted ALQ-131 ECM pod which is carried on the centerline pylon when required.
The MIDS Fighter Data Link Terminal, produced by BAE Systems, improves situational awareness and communications capabilities via the Link 16 datalink.
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F-15E Strike Eagle. (USAF / Tech. Sgt. Matthew Plew)
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The F-15SE Silent Eagle was a proposed variant with fifth generation fighter features, such as internal weapons carriage and radar-absorbent material. The Silent Eagle featured conformal weapons bays (CWB) to hold weapons internally instead of conformal fuel tanks, the twin vertical tails are canted outward 15 degrees to reduce radar cross section; the majority of the CWB's area is for weapons storage, a minority is used for fuel storage.
The F-15SE was optimized for air-to-air missions, lacking all-aspect stealth features for missions inside areas protected by ground-based anti-aircraft systems. The first production F-15E, s/n "86-0183", was modified to become a Silent Eagle demonstrator. It first flew in July 2010 with a left-side conformal weapons bay, and successfully launched an AMRAAM missile from the CWB in July 2010.
General characteristics
Crew: 2 (Pilot and weapon systems officer)
Length: 63 ft 9.6 in (19.446 m)
Wingspan: 42 ft 9.6 in (13.045 m)
Height: 18 ft 6 in (5.64 m)
Wing area: 608 sq ft (56.5 m2)
Airfoil: root: NACA 64A006.6; tip: NACA 64A203
Empty weight: 31,700 lb (14,379 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 81,000 lb (36,741 kg)
Powerplant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-220 (or −229) afterburning turbofan, 14,590 lbf (64.9 kN) thrust each dry, 23,770 lbf (105.7 kN) with afterburner
Performance
Maximum speed:
- 1,434 kn (1,650 mph, 2,656 km/h) / M2.5+ at high altitude
- 782 kn (900 mph; 1,448 km/h) / M1.2 at low altitude
Ferry range: 2,100 nmi (2,400 mi, 3,900 km) with conformal fuel tanks and three external fuel tanks
Service ceiling: 60,000 ft (18,000 m)
g limits: +9
Rate of climb: 50,000 ft/min (250 m/s) +
Thrust/weight: 0.93
Armament
Guns: 1× 20 mm (0.787 in) M61A1 Vulcan 6-barreled Gatling cannon, 500 rounds of either M-56 or PGU-28 ammunition
Hardpoints: 2 wing pylons, fuselage pylons, bomb racks on CFTs with a capacity of 23,000 lb (10,400 kg) of external fuel and ordnance,
Missiles:
- Air-to-air missiles: 4× AIM-7 Sparrow, 4× AIM-9 Sidewinder, 8× AIM-120 AMRAAM
- Air-to-surface missiles: 6× AGM-65 Maverick, 2× AGM-84 Harpoon, 2× AGM-84H/K SLAM-ER, AGM-130, AGM-154 JSOW, AGM-158 JASSM
- Bombs: Mark 82 bomb, Mark 84 bomb, GBU-15, GBU-10 Paveway II, GBU-12 Paveway II, GBU-24 Paveway III, GBU-27 Paveway III, GBU-28 (Bunker buster), GBU-31 or GBU-38 {8 GBU-31s or 16 GBU-38s} (JDAM), GBU-54 Laser JDAM (LJDAM), GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb (SDB), B61 or B83 nuclear bomb, CBU-87 or CBU-103 (CEM), CBU-89 or CBU-104 (GATOR), CBU-97 or CBU-105 (SFW), CBU-107 Passive Attack Weapon, BLU-107 Durandal
- Others: up to 3× 600 US gallons (2,300 L) external drop tanks for ferry flight or extended range/loitering time, 1x 1,800 litres (480 US gal) Super cruise drop tank.
Avionics
Radar:
- Raytheon AN/APG-70 or AN/APG-82
- AN/ASQ-236 Radar Pod
- LANTIRN or Lockheed Martin Sniper XR or LITENING targeting pods
- Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems AN/ALQ-131 electronic countermeasures pod
- Hazeltine AN/APX-76 or Raytheon AN/APX-119 Identify Friend/Foe (IFF) interrogator
- Magnavox AN/ALQ-128 Electronic Warfare Warning Set (EWWS) – part of Tactical Electronic Warfare Systems (TEWS)
- Loral AN/ALR-56 Radar warning receivers (RWR) – part of TEWS
- Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems ALQ-135 Internal Countermeasures System (ICS) – part of TEWS
- Marconi AN/ALE-45 Chaff/Flares dispenser system – part of TEWS
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