The Boeing F-15 Eagle, originally designed and built by McDonnell Douglas, is 4th generation American air superiority fighter famed for its reportedly undefeated record in air combat. The F-15 Eagle is a product of the Cold War, leveraging little in the way of stealth but a great deal in terms of brute force performance to make it among the most capable fighters on the planet today.
The F-15 Eagle first flew in testing on July 27, 1972 and officially entered into service on January 9, 1976. The platform has since proven so capable that a modified version intended to specialize in air-to-ground engagements was eventually fielded in the F-15E Strike Eagle, and just recently, an updated version of the classic F-15 Eagle, dubbed the F-15EX Eagle II, has gone into production.
Per the U.S. Air Force:
“The Eagle’s air superiority is achieved through a mixture of unprecedented maneuverability and acceleration, range, weapons and avionics. It can penetrate enemy defense and outperform and outfight any current enemy aircraft. The F-15 has electronic systems and weaponry to detect, acquire, track and attack enemy aircraft while operating in friendly or enemy-controlled airspace. The weapons and flight control systems are designed so one person can safely and effectively perform air-to-air combat.”
F-15 Eagle Specs and Characteristics
- Primary function: Tactical fighter
- Contractor: McDonnell Douglas Corp.
- Power plant: Two Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-100, 220 or 229 turbofan engines with afterburners
- Thrust: (C/D models) 23,450 pounds each engine
- Wingspan: 42.8 feet (13 meters)
- Length: 63.8 feet (19.44 meters)
- Height: 18.5 feet (5.6 meters)
- Weight: 31,700 pounds
- Maximum takeoff weight: (C/D models) 68,000 pounds (30,844 kilograms)
- Fuel Capacity: 36,200 pounds (three external plus conformal fuel tanks)
- Payload: depends on mission
- Speed: 1,875 mph (Mach 2 class)
- Ceiling: 65,000 feet (19,812 meters)
- Range: 3,450 miles (3,000 nautical miles) ferry range with conformal fuel tanks and three external fuel tanks
- Crew: F-15A/C, one; F-15B/D/E, two
- Armament: One internally mounted M-61A1 20-mm, six-barrel cannon with 940 rounds of ammunition; four AIM-9 Sidewinder and four AIM-120 AMRAAMs or eight AIM-120 AMRAAMs, carried externally.
- Unit Cost: A/B models – $27.9 million (fiscal year 98 constant dollars);C/D models – $29.9 million (fiscal year 98 constant dollars)
- Initial operating capability: September 1975
- Inventory: Total force, 249
Read More about the F-15 Eagle
- THE F-15EX WILL OFFICIALLY BE CALLED THE EAGLE II
- WHY IS AMERICA BUYING THE F-15EX INSTEAD OF MORE F-35S?
- WATCH: INCREDIBLE FOOTAGE SHOWS SAUDI F-15 TAKING OUT HOUTHI DRONE
- HOW MUCH CHEAPER IS THE F-15EX COMPARED TO THE F-35?
- THAT TIME AN F-15 LANDED WITHOUT A WING
- THE AIR FORCE’S F-15E ‘BOMB TRUCK’ CAN NOW CARRY 15 JDAMS
- THE F-15EX MAY BE THE BADDEST 4TH-GEN JET ON THE PLANET
- F-15 ACTIVE: THIS FRANKENSTEIN FIGHTER WAS BETTER THAN THE EAGLE
- HOW AN F-15E SHOT DOWN AN IRAQI GUNSHIP WITH A BOMB
- WATCH: COL. ANDREA THEMELY GIVES AN INCREDIBLE VIDEO TOUR OF AN F-15 COCKPIT
- 5 REASONS THE F-15 MIGHT BE THE BEST FIGHTER OF ALL TIME
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