|
F-15 Eagle :Specification
Fuel capacity:F-15 C, internal: 2,070 USgal (7,836 liters)F-15 E, internal: 2,019 USgal (7,637 liters) WEIGHTS: DIMENSIONS: PERFORMANCE; Ceiling: 60,000 ft (18,300 m) max combat radiusF-15 C: 1,062 nm (1,223mi; 1,968km)F-15 E: approx 1,000 nm (1,150 mi; 1,853 km) Radar: AN/APG-63 pulse-Doppler (original) orAN/APG-70 pulse-Doppler (retrofit). F-15 Eagle :OverviewThe F-15 Eagle is an air superiority and strike fighter for the US Air Force and a few foreign air forces. Along with the F-16 Fighting Falcon, the F-15 will be the principal USAF fighter aircraft into the 21st century. F-15 Eagle :CharateristicsThe Eagle's broad wings have a relatively low leading-edge sweep, a 1° anhedral, and raked tips. The trailing edge is fitted with plain flaps and ailerons; the wings do not have leading-edge lift devices, spoilers, or trim tabs. The two vertical surfaces have no cant; their rudders are inset in the lower trailing edges. All-moving tailplanes are mounted on the fuselage outboard of the engines; the outer leading edge of each tailplane extends forward in a dogtooth. Roll control at low speeds is by aileron; above Mach 1, the tailplanes are operated differentially. The fuselage layout consists of a central structure flanked by engine bays; this large volume holds more than 2,000 US gal (7,570 liters) of fuel. Aluminum/light alloy/titanium material is used for the majority of airframe components. The sharply raked, two-dimensional, externalcompression engine air intakes feed two afterburning turbofans fitted side by side between the tails. The intakes vary their inlet angle depending on speed and aircraft attitude; variable-area nozzles exhaust the afterburners. The engine thrust lines converge as they move toward the tail. Beginning with F-15 Cs that became operational in mid-1986, F-15's are powered by the F100-PW-220 engine with Hamilton Standard Digital Electronic Engine Control (DEEC) and 4,000-cycle core life. DEEC reduces acceleration time from flight idle to maximum power by 30% and eliminates restrictions on engine throttling throughout flight regime. 1,500 US gal (5,678 liters) of additional fuel can be carried in Conformal Fuel Tanks (CUT) that flank the engine nacelles. CFTs reduce subsonic drag and add less supersonic drag than do conventional drop tanks. The F-15 also has inflight refueling. Located on the centerline and in line with the wing root's leading edge is a large single-piece air brake hinged on its forward edge; it is made of composite materials. The Eagle has retractable tricycle landing gear, the main gear wheels retracting into fuselage bays outboard of the intakes and the nose gear folding forward under the cockpit. The cockpit and nose extend well forward from a point between the large intakes. The nose holds a Hughes Aircraft multimode, pulse-Doppler radar, which has a look-down, shoot-down capability; the original APG-63 was replaced in production by the APG-70 in 1984. The APG-70 is faster and has a higher resolution and a larger memory. Other avionics include a Litton AN/ ASN-109 Inertial Navigation System (INS), AN/AWG-20 fire control system, and a central digital computer. The cockpit is fitted with a McDonnell Douglas Electronics Head-Up Display (HUD) and a Sperry vertical situation display. The radar and HUD symbology are controlled by Hands-On Throttle and Stick (HOTAS) switches. The F-15 Eagle's Tactical Electronic Warning System (TEWS) includes Electronic Support Measures/Electronic Countermeasures (ESM/ECM) equipment such as the Loral AN/ALR-56C radar-warning receiver (with aerials in the fin tips, wingtips, and under the fuselage), the Magnavox AN/ALQ-128 threat-warning receiver, Tracer AN/ALE-45 countermeasures dispenser, and Northrop AN/ ALQ-135 jamming system. A wide variety of armament may be carried on external weapons stations, which vary in number depending on whether the aircraft is fitted with CFT. Two Sparrow Air-to-Air Missile (AAM) points are located on the lower outer edges of each intake. Two Sidewinder AAMs can be fitted to a weapons station under each wing. The single fuselage hardpoint and the two wing pylons can carry a total of 16,000 Ib (7,258 kg); each CFT has additional stub pylons, raising the warload capacity to 23,600 Ib (10,705 kg). F-15 Eagle :DevelopmentThe aircraft's initial operational capability was in 1975, and its first flight was on July 27, 1972. Over 1,100 have been delivered to US Air Force squadrons. More than 280 additional aircraft have been delivered to or ordered by three other air forces. Israeli Peace Fox F-15 As began delivery in the late 1970s (25 aircraft). 15 Peace Fox 2 F-15 C/D aircraft arrived in 1981, followed by 11 Peace Fox 3s. Deliveries in 1991-92 included five new-build F-15 C/ Ds and 25 surplus F-15 A/Bs. The first US-built Japanese F-15 were delivered in May 1981 (Squadron initial operational capability in 1982). License production in Japan by Mitsubishi began in 1982; 171 are planned, with more than 120 delivered. Saudi Arabia took delivery of its 60 Peace Sun F-15C/Ds from January 1982 to May 1983; two more were purchased as attrition aircraft. October 1987 order of 12 more (nine C, three D) under Peace Sun VI, with delivery ending February 1992. 24 more were transferred from US Air Force units in Europe in September 1990 in a $682-million deal. On September 15, 1992, the Bush administration notified Congress of plans to sell 72 F-15 XP aircraft to Saudi Arabia.
F-15 Eagle :VariantsF-15 A: Single-seat all-weather air-superiority fighter version. F-15 B:Two-seat training version, formerly designated TF-15A F-15 C: Improved single-seat all-weather air-superiority fighter version. F-15 D: Two-seat training version. F-15 J: Single-seat all-weather air-superiority fighter version for the Japanese Air Self Defence Force. Built under licence in Japan by Mitsubishi. F-15 DJ: Two-seat training version for the Japanese Air Self Defence Force. Built under licence in Japan by Mitsubishi. F-15 N Seagle: Proposed Carrier Capable Variant, Considered for F-14 Tomcat replacement in the US Navy. F-15 E Strike Eagle: Two-seat all-weather long-range strike and ground-attack aircraft for the US Air Force. F-15 F Strike Eagle:Single seat model of the F-15 E. F-15 H Strike Eagle:Export model of the F-15 E Strike Eagle for Hellenic Air Force. F-15I Ra'am (Thunder): Advanced version of the F-15 E Strike Eagle for the Israeli Air Force. F-15 K Slam Eagle: Advanced version of the F-15 E Strike Eagle for the Republic of Korea Air Force. F-15 S Strike Eagle: Export version of the F-15 E Strike Eagle for the Royal Saudi Air Force. F-15SG Strike Eagle: Advanced version of the F-15 E Strike Eagle for the Republic of Singapore Air Force. Variant was formerly designated F-15 T. F-15 Streak Eagle: One stripped and unpainted F-15 A, demonstrated the fighter’s acceleration – broke eight time-to-climb world records between Jan. 16 and Feb. 1, 1975. F-15 S/MTD: One TF-15 A was converted into a short take-off and landing, maneuver technology demonstrator aircraft. F-15 ACTIVE: One F-15 S/MTD was converted into an advanced control technology research aircraft. F-15 IFCS: One F-15 ACTIVE was converted into an intelligent flight control systems research aircraft. F-15 MANX: A tailless variant of the F-15 ACTIVE. F-15 Multistage Improvement Program (MSIP),F-15 XP (Saudi Arabia), NF-15 S/MTD Agile Eagle/STOL Eagle.
F-15 Eagle :Combact ExperienceOn June 7, 1981, the Israeli Air Force conducted an air raid against the Iraqi Osirak nuclear reactor facility with eight F-15 Eagles flying cover for the F-16 Fighting Falcons that bombed the facility. The strike destroyed the target without the loss of any aircraft. During the protracted Israeli campaign in the Middle East from the late 1970s, approximately 60 Syrian MiG-21, MiG-23, and MiG-25 fighters were downed. Another 45 of this type of aircraft were claimed during the 1982 invasion of Lebanon; the Israelis reported no losses. In August 1990, the United States dispatched two squadrons of F-15 C/Ds and a squadron of F-15 Es to Saudi Arabia as part of Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm. F-15 Es flew more than 2,200 sorties against targets in Iraq and Kuwait as part of the air assaults. The two F-15 E squadrons flew 40-60 sorties per night with a mission-capable rate of 95.9% (8% higher than peacetime). US and Saudi F-15 Cs flew escort missions that resulted in several Iraqi fighters being downed. Two F-15 Es were shot down during the seven-week war; one was the first US Air Force aircraft lost in the conflict. |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
