McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle

The first McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle made its maiden flight on 27 July 1972, giving the US Air Force by far its most potent fighter aircraft, albeit one of its most complex and expensive. The Eagle was developed to rival the MiG-25. Powered by two 10855kg thrust Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-100 afterburning turbofans, the Eagle, unlike its Soviet counterpart, is not a stand-off interceptor but a close-combat dogfighter with AIM-7 Sparrow air-to-air missiles along the bottom of its large inlet ducts and 20mm cannon mounted in the right inboard wing. The two-seat F-15B combat trainer which first flew on 7 July 1973 is about 360kg heavier than the F-15A fighter, but retains most of its combat capability.

The Eagle is equipped with Hughes APG-63 pulse-Doppler radar with computerised data-processing to leave nothing on the pilot's head-up or head-down displays except items of genuine interest. All-round visibility is superb and the F-15 pioneered the HOTAS (hands on throttle and stick) concept to ease the pilot's task in combat. The single-seat F-15C has now replaced its predecessors on the McDonnell production line in St Louis, along with the two-seat F-15D. In both, internal fuel is increased, FAST (fuel and sensor, tactical) pallets fitting against the sides of the fuselage giving 4423kg of extra fuel.

After being developed by the manufacturer and tested on a converted airframe, the concept of using the F-15 as a long-range, all-weather interdiction aircraft was accepted by the USAF and the F-15E Enhanced Eagle was ordered in 1984, almost certainly as replacement for the General Dynamics F-111. McDonnell has moved in two directions to develop the F-15E's capability, concentrating on avionics and ordnance-carrying potential. The rear cockpit of the prototype has been fitted with four multi-purpose cathode ray terminals (CRT) for information display to the systems operator, and three more CRTs are to be installed for the pilot in production versions. Beneath the nose cone, high-resolution radar provides long-range ground-mapping of remarkable clarity while forward-looking infra-red (FLIR) gives close-range images of the best quality. In combination, these systems allow rapid target indentification and all-weather weapons delivery. Production F-15E aircraft have about 25 per cent greater load-carrying ability and range than the current fighter variants.

Versions of the F-15 have been exported to Israel, Japan and Saudi Arabia. The Israeli Defence Force/Air Force aircraft have been involved in several dogfights with Syrian MiG-21s and MiG-23s and are officially confirmed as having shot down at least one MiG-25. On 7 June 1981, Israeli F-15s escorted F-16s making the strike against Iraq's Osirak nuclear powerplant, covering a radius of 966km.

The 1st Tactical Fighter Wing at Langley AFB, Virginia, was the first USAF recipient of the F-15A, while the first operational aircraft in Europe were assigned to the 36th TFW at Bitburg AB, West Germany. USAF F-15s also operate in the Netherlands, Okinawa, and Alaska as well as the continental USA. Some have also reached Air National Guard units.

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A three-view drawing (1673 x 908)