The F-15E Strike Eagle is an all-weather multirole fighter, derived from the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle. The F-15E was designed in the 1980s for long-range, high speed interdiction without relying on escort or electronic warfare aircraft. United States Air Force (USAF) F-15E Strike Eagles can be distinguished from other U.S. Eagle variants by darker camouflage and conformal fuel tanks mounted along the engine intakes.
The Strike Eagle has been deployed in Operation Desert Storm, Operation Allied Force and Operation Odyssey Dawn carrying out deep strikes against high-value targets, combat air patrols, and providing close air support for coalition troops. It has also seen action in later conflicts and has been exported to several countries.
The F-15E's deep strike mission is a radical departure from the original intent of the F-15, since the F-15 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.
The F-15E prototype was a modification of the two-seat F-15B. The F-15E, despite its origins, includes significant structural changes and much more powerful engines. The back seat is equipped for a Weapon Systems Officer (WSO pronounced 'wizzo') to work the new air-to-ground avionics. The WSO uses multiple screens to display information from the radar, electronic warfare, or infrared sensors, monitor aircraft or weapons status and possible threats, select targets, and use an electronic moving map to navigate. Two hand controls are used to select new displays and to refine targeting information. Displays can be moved from one screen to another, chosen from a menu of display options. Unlike earlier two-place jets (e.g. the F-14 Tomcat and Navy variants of the F-4), whose back seat lacked flying controls, the back seat of the F-15E cockpit is equipped with its own stick and throttle so the WSO can take over flying, albeit with reduced visibility.
To extend its range, the F-15E is fitted with two conformal fuel tanks (CFTs) that hug the fuselage, producing lower drag than conventional underwing/underbelly drop tanks. They carry 750 U.S. gallons (2,800 liters) of fuel, and house six weapons hardpoints in two rows of three in tandem. Unlike conventional drop tanks, CFTs cannot be jettisoned, so the increased range comes at the cost of degraded performance as a result of the additional drag and weight versus a totally "clean" configuration. Similar tanks can be mounted on the F-15C/D and export variants, and the Israeli Air Force does exercise this option on their fighter-variant F-15s as well as their F-15I variant of the Strike Eagle, but the F-15E is the only U.S. variant to be routinely fitted with CFTs.
The Strike Eagle's tactical electronic warfare system (TEWS) integrates all countermeasures on the craft: radar warning receivers (RWR), 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 on an as needed basis.
An inertial navigation system uses a laser gyroscope to continuously monitor the aircraft's position and provide information to the central computer and other systems, including a digital moving map in both cockpits.
The APG-70 radar system allows air crews to detect ground targets from longer 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. The APG-70 is to be replaced by the AN/APG-82(v)1 Active Electronically Scanned Array Radar (AESA) radar, which will begin flight tests in January 2010 with initial operational capability expected in 2014.
The low-altitude navigation and targeting infrared for night (LANTIRN) system, mounted externally under the engine intakes, allows the aircraft to fly at low altitudes, at night and in any weather conditions, to attack ground targets with a variety of precision-guided and unguided weapons. The LANTIRN system gives the F-15E exceptional accuracy in weapons delivery day or night and in poor weather, and consists of two pods attached to the exterior of the aircraft. At night, the video picture from the LANTIRN can be projected on the HUD, producing an infrared image of ground contour.
The navigation pod contains terrain-following radar which allows the pilot to safely fly at a very low altitude following cues displayed on a heads up display. This system also can be coupled to the aircraft's autopilot to provide "hands off" terrain-following capability. Additionally, the pod contains a forward looking infrared system which is projected on the pilot's HUD which is used during nighttime or low visibility operations. The AN/AAQ-13 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 been started, targeting information is automatically handed off to infrared 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 Pod.
For air-to-ground missions, the F-15E can carry most weapons in the USAF inventory. It also can be armed with AIM-9 Sidewinders, AIM-7 Sparrow and AIM-120 AMRAAMs for self-defense (though the Strike Eagle retains the counter-air capabilities from its Eagle lineage, it is rarely if ever used for counter-air missions). Like the F-15C, the Strike Eagle also carries an internally mounted General Electric M61A1 20 mm cannon with 650 rounds, which is effective against enemy aircraft and "soft" ground targets.
BAE Systems produces the MIDS Fighter Data Link Terminal which improves the situational awareness of Strike Eagle crews though Link 16 sharing of data.
LIG Nex1 has been manufacturing Head-Up Display for F-15 since 2004. In February 2011, LIG Nex1 won a renewed contract to deliver 20 more HUD for the F-15 of USAF and other countries, bringing the total number of F-15 HUD delivered by LIG Nex1 to 150 by 2011. LIG Nex1 had previously participated in the HUD's development as Rockwell Collin's subcontractor in the F-15K program. LIG Nex1 is also preparing to manufacture F-15's new multi-function display and flight control computer.
Since 2004, Korea Aerospace Industries monopolized the production of the main wings and forward fuselages of new F-15 to be constructed. Production began in 2004 for the F-15K, and another production line was established in 2008 for Singapore's F-15SG. Korea Aerospace Industries will also design, develop, and manufacture the Conformal Weapons Bay (CWB) for the F-15 Silent Eagle.General characteristics
- Crew: 2
- Length: 63.8 ft (19.43 m)
- Wingspan: 42.8 ft (13.05 m)
- Height: 18.5 ft (5.63 m)
- Wing area: 608 ft² (56.5 m²)
- Airfoil: NACA 64A006.6 root, NACA 64A203 tip
- Empty weight: 31,700 lb (14,300 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 81,000 lb (36,700 kg)
- Powerplant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney F100-229 afterburning turbofans, 29,000 lbf (129 kN) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: Mach 2.5+ (1,650+ mph, 2,660+ km/h)
- Ferry range: 2,400 mi (2,100 nmi, 3,900 km) with conformal fuel tank and three external fuel tanks
- Service ceiling: 60,000 ft (18,200 m)
- Rate of climb: 50,000+ ft/min (254+ m/s)
- Thrust/weight: 0.93
Armament
- Guns: 1× 20 mm (0.787 in) M61 Vulcan 6-barreled gatling cannon, 510 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-9M Sidewinder or 4× AIM-120 AMRAAM, and
- 4× AIM-7M Sparrow or additional 4× AIM-120 AMRAAM
- Air-to-surface missiles:
- 6× AGM-65 Maverick
- AGM-130
- AGM-84 Harpoon
- AGM-84K SLAM-ER
- AGM-154 JSOW
- AGM-158 JASSM
- Air-to-air missiles:
- Bombs:
- B61 nuclear bomb
- Mark 82 bomb
- Mark 84 bomb
- CBU-87 Combined Effects Munition
- CBU-89 Gator
- CBU-97 Sensor Fuzed Weapon
- CBU-103 CEM
- CBU-104 Gator
- CBU-105 SFW
- CBU-107 Passive Attack Weapon
- GBU-10 Paveway II
- GBU-12 Paveway II
- GBU-15
- GBU-24 Paveway III
- GBU-27 Paveway III
- GBU-28
- GBU-31 JDAM
- GBU-38 JDAM
- GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb
- GBU-51 Paveway II
- GBU-54 Laser JDAM
- Others:
- up to 3× 600 US gallons (2,300 L) external drop tanks for ferry flight or extended range/loitering time.
Avionics
- Radar:
- Raytheon AN/APG-70
- Targeting pods:
- LANTIRN or Lockheed Martin Sniper XR or LITENING targeting pods
- Countermeasures:
- 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
