Last week, the United States government gave the green light to sale of 50 F-15 Eagle II fighters to Israel. The movement, which occurs amid high tensions in the Middle East, was already expected, as the two governments they had been negotiating the planes for some time.
Developed by the former McDonnell Douglas, absorbed by Boeing in the 1990s, the F-15 Eagle is primarily an air superiority fighter, which later evolved into a multi-mission aircraft.
More than 50 years after its first flight, the F-15 continues in production and winning important orders, whether for new factory models or for modernizations of existing units. But after all, how does a '35-year-old' jet continue to stand out in an era of modern stealth jets like the F-XNUMX?
Ghosts of Vietnam and the USSR
During the War in Vietnam (1964-1972), the main fighter aircraft of the United States Air Force (USAF) was the F-4 Phantom II. Also manufactured by McDonnell, the F-4 was created for the American Navy, but ended up finding a place in the USAF and other military organizations across the globe.
Large and heavy, the F-4 performed well as a long-range fighter-bomber, with a generous payload of bombs and missiles. However, the conflict in Southeast Asia made it clear that the Phantom was not as good at aerial combat as the MiGs supplied by the former Soviet Union. Small and agile, the MiG-21 Fishbed, among other models, had advantages over the North American jet.
In parallel, a new aerial threat emerged in the USSR. In contrast to the small MiG-21, another large and highly fast fighter threatened the Western models. It was the MiG-25 Foxbat, which to this day holds the title of the fastest fighter to enter service, capable of exceeding 3100 km/h. At the time, generals believed that, in addition to speed, the MiG-25 was also extremely maneuverable.
With these needs in mind, the USAF created Project FX. Shrouded in secrecy, the project was supposed to deliver a faster and more maneuverable fighter than the F-4, capable of easily facing the USSR's main aircraft and guaranteeing air superiority on the battlefield.
McDonnell
USAF requirements were published in September 1968, with four companies responding to the demands with different designs: Fairchild Republic, General Dynamics, McDonnell Douglas and North American Rockwell.
The proposal from General Dynamics (which years later created the F-16) was eliminated and the USAF awarded contracts to refine designs to the remaining companies. After the delivery of the technical drawings in June 1969, the Air Force chose, at the end of that same year, McDonnell Douglas to manufacture its new fighter aircraft.
In June 1972, the F-15 Eagle was presented to the world, making its first flight the following month. The jet had two Pratt & Whitney F100 engines and could carry eight short- and medium-range, heat- or radar-guided air-to-air missiles. Four years later, the US Air Force introduced the first F-15s into service.
Consolidated platform
Although it was not as fast as the MiG-25, the F-15 certainly won in other aspects. It was better armed, much more agile and its “electronic equipment” was also years ahead. In fact, its counterpart from the USSR came later, in the form of the Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker, a model that is also prominent today.
Highly capable, the F-15 soon caught the attention of the foreign market. The model was even offered to Iran – which at the time had much better relations with Washington – but the F-14 Tomcat took the contract. Israel, on the other hand, preferred the Eagle, which was soon put into operation, alongside the already veteran F-4.
Find out more: F-15 that landed without a wing 40 years ago continues to fly in Israel
It was a wise decision: in the hands of Israeli airmen, the F-15 achieved the first of its 104 kills, most of which were also by the Israeli Air Force. The more than 100 planes shot down, without any loss of an F-15 to another fighter, earned him the nickname 'MiG Killer'. Even today, the F-15 maintains this score, in addition to having even shot down a satellite.
Now, the country is acquiring 50 new F-15s and will also modernize its F-15 Ra'am (Strike Eagle). The agreement, yet to be signed, is estimated at US$18,8 billion.
Stealth
In 1997 the Lockheed Martin's F-22 Raptor made its first flight. The world's first stealth fighter, the Raptor was the original replacement for the F-15, but the end of the Cold War changed the direction of the project, which ended up becoming even more expensive. Meanwhile, the F-15 continued in service and received upgrades to remain relevant in the 21st Century.
Years later, it was the turn of F-35 t Strike Fighter to arrive. The project, however, ended up becoming even more expensive than the F-22, becoming the most expensive defense program in history. Delays and setbacks in the development of the plane brought negative results that are still reflected today.
Taking advantage of the problems of the F-22 and F-35, Boeing even offered a stealth version of the F-15E, called the F-15 Silent Eagle, which ended up not succeeding. However, improvements to the platform continued, later giving rise to two advanced versions for customers in the Middle East, the F-15SA and F-15QA, for Saudi Arabia and Qatar, respectively.
What Boeing learned from these two models was applied to the F-15X project, a major update to the veteran 1970s fighter. The upgrade became the F-15EX Eagle II we know today, part of the Advanced Eagle series.
Updated and relevant veteran
From the outside, the F-15 may appear unchanged, but the differences make it almost another fighter. Starting with the engines, the jet now has a pair of General Electric F110 turbofans, each with 29 pounds of thrust, allowing the Eagle II to easily exceed Mach 2.5 (2,5 times the speed of sound).
Armament capacity has also increased, with the addition of two more hardpoints on each wing, allowing the F-15EX to carry up to 12 air-to-air missiles. With double hangers, this number can increase to 22, however, with damage to the aircraft's performance due to the weight of the weapons and aerodynamic drag.
The cockpit is for two crew, as in the F-15E Strike Eagle, but the s are now dominated by a 25 cm × 48 cm panoramic touchscreen (LAD), similar to the one found on the F-39 Gripen and F-35 Lightning II. The use of LAD improves the presentation of information to the pilot and Weapons Systems Officer (WSO). The crew also wears the t Helmet Mounted Cueing System II (JHMCS) helmet, which presents the main tactical and flight information on the pilot's visor, also allowing aiming and firing missiles.
The radar is RTX's AN/APG-82(V)1, with active electronic scanning (AESA). In addition to detecting aerial and ground targets, the radar works together with British BAE's Eagle ive Active Warning Survivability System (EPAWSS) electronic warfare suite to ensure safe operation in highly contested environments, using advanced features to identify, monitor and block threats.
Another important component is the Advanced Display Core Processor II (AD II) mission computer. According to the US Air Force, the AD is based on commercial technology. It enables advanced systems integration, greater mission effectiveness, increased fault tolerance, improved system stability and crew survivability.
The first order for the F-15EX came from the American Air Force itself, ordering 144 planes. The contract was reduced to 80 units and later increased to 104 aircraft. Saudi Arabia purchased 84 F-15SAs and Qatar signed for 36 planes.
The already recognized high performance of the F-15, combined with a robust update of avionics and vital components gave the F-15 a lifespan. Although it does not have the stealth of the F-35, also used by Israel, the Eagle has more range, speed and has no restrictions on carrying certain weapons that go beyond the measurements of the stealth model's weapons bays.
In of price, the F-15 is a more expensive jet. Boeing says the F-15EX could fetch $97 million per unit, while the Lot 35 F-13A is estimated to cost $79 million. On the other hand, there are already a thousand units of F-35 delivered, while the F-15EX has more than 100 just ordered, ing possible problems and project delays, which are common.
The Oregon Air National Guard, a reserve unit of the United States Air Force, already has its first two F-15EXs in service. The public presentation of the fighters marks the beginning of the end for the classic F-15C/D Eagle models and a new era in the history of the legendary North American fighter. Half a century after its first flight, the F-15 is still a model that commands respect on the battlefield.
