F-15 series fighter aircraft: Difference between revisions
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Originally designed as a high-end [[United States Air Force]] fighter strictly for air-to-air use, the ''F-15 Eagle'' aircraft has become a family, with multiple mission variants, upgrades, and export versions. | Originally designed as a high-end [[United States Air Force]] fighter strictly for air-to-air use, the ''F-15 Eagle'' aircraft has become a family, with multiple mission variants, upgrades, and export versions. | ||
Revision as of 07:37, 4 April 2024
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Originally designed as a high-end United States Air Force fighter strictly for air-to-air use, the F-15 Eagle aircraft has become a family, with multiple mission variants, upgrades, and export versions. For the pure air superiority versions, first the F-15A/B and then the F-15C/D, the first of the pair is the single-seat version and the second a two seat; the two seat is used for training, proficiency testing, and similar requirements. All ground attack variants, beginning with the F-15E Strike Eagle, are two seat, with a pilot and weapons systems officer (WSO). Within major version levels such as A/B, there are a series of numbered incremental upgrades called blocks. Air-to-AirThe air-to-air version has gone through multiple upgrades. Besides the USAF, it is operated by:
Air-to-GroundOriginally built, over the protests of some Air Force officers with an informal motto of "not a pound for air to ground", as a high-performance attack aircraft retaining air combat capability, the Strike Eagle has been extremely successful. In many demanding missions, it outperforms the F-16 Fighting Falcon, which had been seen as the low-end, primarily air-to-ground version. This is not to say, however, that the F-16 is not a highly effective aircraft, and the F-16 and F-15E form a low/high mix that provides air planners with additional flexibility. Foreign versions include:
Speculative versionBoeing, now the manufacturer, has developed a F-15 Silent Eagle variant, which is considerably stealthier than the basic F-15; it is intended primarily for the export market as an alternative to the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter and the F-22 Raptor. |