Optimal design, perfect features

On June 26, 1972, the first F-15 prototype – F-15A-1-MC (71-0280) – was released at the St. Louis of McAir (later, merged with Boeing) – the result of a project to build a 1-seat fighter aircraft with a maximum takeoff weight of 18,000kg, maximum speed of Mach 2.5 and thrust ratio to weight nearly 1:1 to take on the role of air combat – counterbalancing the Soviet Union’s MiG-21 fighter and MiG-25 interceptor fighter.

The F-15 fighter, which went into series production in 2003, has a metal semi-monocoque fuselage design with large wing supports and a large main wing; The vertical tail wing is made from aluminum (Al) and composite with a honeycomb structure, the outside is made of an alloy from the elements iron (Fe) and boron (B). The F-15 has a rear-mounted air brake and retractable 3-wheel landing gear in the fuselage, is equipped with two Pratt & Whitney F100 turbojet engines, the air intake has an intake ramp to create shock waves that help the plane reach supersonic speeds.

The cockpit is placed high on the front fuselage with a large domed windshield to increase the pilot’s field of view. The aircraft frame is made from extremely durable titanium (Ti) alloy. The maneuverability of the F-15 is achieved thanks to the low load of the wings with a high ratio between thrust and weight, allowing the aircraft to make sharp turns without losing speed in flight, being able to reach a flight ceiling of 10,000m in about 60 seconds, capable of accelerating in vertical flight.

The F-15’s No. 1 function is air combat; Source: flightglobal.com

F-15A and F-15C are single-seat variants; F-15B and F-15D – 2 seats used for training. F-15E is a multi-purpose version with a second seat for pilot-navigator. Overall, the F-15 Eagle is an all-weather, twin-engine tactical fighter designed to dominate and maintain air superiority. The improved version of the F-15E Strike Eagle is an all-weather combined strike fighter that has been in operation since 1989; The F-15EX was developed from the F-15QA version (for the Qatari air force) – the most modern F-15 model.

All F-15 versions are equipped with a 20mm M61 Vulcan rotary cannon with 940 rounds of ammunition. Depending on function and mission, A/B/C/D versions only carry weapons used for air combat, including: air-to-air missiles, 3 2,300l auxiliary fuel tanks. The F-15E version has 13 weapon pylons with a weapon load of 10,400kg including: air-to-air missiles, air-to-ground missiles, anti-ship missiles, guided bombs of all kinds, unguided bombs of all kinds. type, nuclear bomb (5 B61 bombs).

The F-15E is a combined fighter-attack aircraft; Source: boeing.com

Epic CV

F-15A/B versions were used by Israel in the Bekaa Valley campaign and the Lebanon War. F-15C/D/E versions were deployed in the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Shield in response to Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in August 1990; supporting Operation Desert Storm in 1991, Operation Desert Fox in 1998 – when they achieved a total of 36 to 39 victories in air combat. The F-15E mainly operates at night to hunt for Scud missile launchers and artillery positions with the Lantirn system.

F-15s were also deployed to support Operation Southern Watch, patrolling the No-Fly Zone in Southern Iraq; Operation Provide Comfort in Turkey; NATO campaigns in Bosnia, Afghanistan; Operation Odyssey Dawn in Libya; the Inherent Resolve campaign against ISIS in Syria and Iraq and recent air force expeditionary force deployments. From January 1984 to September 1986, an F-15A was used as a launch pad for the ASM-135 anti-satellite missile and successfully destroyed a decommissioned telecommunications satellite in an orbit of 555km.

By 2005, according to the statements of the air forces of other countries, the F-15A/B/C/D was an “undefeated eagle” – never having been shot down by any opponent in air combat, while it was already in service. Hundreds of combat aircraft of all types from unmanned aircraft to advanced fighter jets such as MiG-25, MiG-29 (except for the case where a Japanese F-15J shot down an F-15J in 1995 because an AIM-9 Sidewinder missile did not operate correctly during a training exercise using live ammunition).

The F-15 series has a very impressive combat history; Source: airman.dodlive.mil

However, worth mentioning, the Israeli Air Force confirmed that at least one F-15 was damaged by a missile from a MiG-21 on June 9, 1982 – the missile destroyed an engine of the F-15. but it still tried to land back at the airport with the remaining engine before being engulfed by fire. The Syrian Air Force announced that it shot down an Israeli F-15 with its MiG-25 on July 29, 1981; 3 F-15s with MiG-23 and another 2 with MiG-21 in 1982.

Why “re-export”?

According to many sources, after nearly 20 years, the US Air Force is expected to order a total of about 200 F-15EX fighters in the near future, 8 of which will be received next year. In the 2020 fiscal budget, the US Department of Defense requested $1.1 billion to buy 8 out of a total procurement plan of 144 F-15EXs to replace 240 F-15C/Ds. USAF chose the F-15EX to maintain the size of the fighter force due to the premature termination of production of F-22 fighters, the aging F-15C… The US Secretary of the Air Force once revealed that the F- The 15C cannot operate until the 2030s due to a series of serious problems with the fuselage, especially metal fatigue along the sides of the aircraft.

Although it is expected to be unable to survive against modern air defenses by 2028, the F-15EX can serve in various roles such as air defense and air combat, performing interception functions such as patrol air borders, enforce no-fly zones, counter limited air defense systems, and deliver ammunition. According to experts, the USAF has decided to urgently purchase a large number of F-15EX fighters because their maneuverability far exceeds that of the F-35 and is very close to the Russian Su-57.

F-15EX surpassed many competitors to be “re-exported”; Source: flugrevue.de

This is mainly because the speed and maneuverability of the F-15EX is significantly higher than that of the F-35, even exceeding that of the F-22. Another strong point of the F-15EX fighter is that its body frame is reinforced for a lifespan of up to 12,000 flight hours, carrying over 10 tons of weapons with up to 24 air-to-air missiles of all types.

However, military experts draw attention to the important fact that the F-15EX does not have radical stealth technology, it only adds a weapons compartment to reduce the radar reflection area. The Russian S-400 air defense system can detect the F-35 at a distance of 32km, but it can detect the F-15EX at a distance of 200km.

The National Interest page believes that this fighter jet is strong and flexible enough to be able to confront Russia’s Su-57 without using the more advanced F-22 or F-35 stealth fighters because of the Su-57. can still be detected in the long-wave infrared spectrum. Lockheed Martin is developing the Legion pod multi-function sensor device and infrared sensor system that will allow the F-15EX to detect and track enemies at long distances with high accuracy. After detecting the Su-57, the F-15EX pilot had enough time to launch the long-range Raytheon AIM-120D missile.

Also according to this site, while an F-35 can carry 10 tons of weapons at an altitude of 15km and a distance of 1,000km with a maximum speed of Mach 1.6, the F-15EX can carry 14 tons of weapons at an altitude of 18km and 1,800km away with a maximum speed of Mach 2.5. US military officials confidently say that the F-15EX fighter is the best 4.5 generation fighter in the world, superior when placed next to the Russian Su-35S.

With about 270kg of extra oil carried in the external tank, the F-15EX can fly an additional 4,800km, Popular Mechanics emphasized, it can fly across the ocean at any time. According to this page, the F-15 Eagle is equipped with AN/APG-63 radar to track enemy aircraft at distances of up to 322km, with a programmable system processor, allowing system updates without the need to hardware replacement.

According to National Interest, USAF is developing new tactics for the F-15EX and F-22 Raptors, F-15EX and F-35 to promote the strengths of each line. F-15s with more powerful radars and heavier missile payloads will fly behind stealthy F-22s and F-35s penetrating enemy territory, helping to detect and attack targets that the F- 22 missed or detected by the F-35 and F-15EXs with integrated hypersonic missiles are being considered.

Victory in air combat depends on many factors: Source: airforcemag.com

Analysts believe that the F-15EX will easily be quickly detected by the Su-57 and destroyed at the maximum possible distance with out-of-sight air combat missiles. However, if talking about air combat, many people believe that the F-15EX is still a very worthy opponent of Russian stealth fighters.

With extremely powerful active electronically scanned array radar and many sophisticated electronic warfare systems, the F-15EX can not let the Su-57 “overtake” in air combat beyond visual range. In the case of a close-range confrontation, the flight management computer with an extremely fast processor gives the F-15EX an advantage, making it unlikely that the Su-57 can “beat” it. Another detail is that the F-15EX can use short-range air combat missiles with the function of “target lock after launch” with probes and sensors allowing 360-degree combat – current Russian technology. not yet.

The last factor to mention is that the production cost of the F-15EX is much cheaper than the F-22 because the F-15 production line is still operating and has not been closed as in the case of the F-22, which is lower than the figure. The price of the F-35A is about 95 million USD at present and may decrease in the future (according to another source, with an expected price of less than 80 million USD/unit, the F-15EX is nearly as expensive as the F-35). today – the production cost of the F-35 has gradually decreased), but maintaining the F-15 is cheaper than a fighter with a stealth coating that requires special handling. The Air Force Association estimates that the cost of flying the F-35A is at 35,000 USD/hour; F-15EX – 27,000 USD/h. With the above advantages, it is not difficult to understand why the US still places its trust in the upgraded version of the “Invincible Eagle” F-15 Eagle.

Currently, in addition to the US, Germany and Israel also express their need for the latest version F-15EX. Observers predict that, despite the F-35, with its large weapon load and real combat experience, the F-15 will still be the main fighter line of the US Air Force for many more decades. However, practice has proven that victory in an air battle depends not only on the aircraft and its integrated weapons and equipment, but also on many other factors, that is, the level of proficiency. , the experience and bravery of the pilot, tactics, combat coordination as well as technical assurance and weather conditions… Let’s see, once encountered, which cat will bite which neck. /.