INTRODUCING THE
F-15E STRIKE EAGLE
The Strike Eagle Mission
The F-15E is the USAF's premier deep strike/interdiction aircraft. It is designed to fly day or night, low and fast, in all weather conditions, delivering precision strike capability to the enemy. Two F-15Es with four crew members and 12,000 pounds of conventional bombs are able to do the same damage to a pinpoint target that only yesterday took eight F-4s, 16 crew members and 48,000 pounds of conventional bombs. Born out of a desire to replace the F-111, the Air Force looked towards a private venture created by McDonnell Douglas to create a strike version of their air superiority fighter. The idea was to create a fighter-bomber which could conduct its strike mission with a minimum of support and without the need for accompaniment by escort fighters. While retaining its air-superiority characteristics, the F-15E can carry aloft a heavier payload than its predecessor and deliver it greater distances. To suit the F-15E for the rigors of the low-level role, the aircraft was structurally redesigned for a 16,000-hour life and loads of up to 9G. It is quite a change from the "not a pound for air-to-ground" motto that the original Eagle's design team rallied around.
The F-15E was the unsung hero of Desert Storm. Due to the F-15E's precision-strike capability, it could carry the fight to the enemy both day and night. The F-15E also maintained a 95.5 percent average mission capable rate, the highest of any fighter in the war. The Strike Eagle has continued to be the backbone of the USAF's precision strike capability throughout the 1990s, flying combat missions over Iraq as part of Operations Northern and Southern Watch and over Yugoslavia as part of NATO's Operation Allied Force.
Strike Eagle Specifications
| Type: | Dual role strike/attack and air-superiority fighter |
| Builder: | Boeing Military Aircraft and Missile Systems, St Louis, MO |
| Power Plant: | Two Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-220 or F100-PW-229 afterburning turbofans |
| Thrust: | 13154-kg/29,000-lb (PW-229), each engine |
| Length: | 19.43 m/63 ft 9 in |
| Height: | 5.63 m/18 ft 5.5 in |
| Weight: | Empty 14,397 kg/31,700 lb; maximum take-off 36,741 kg/81,000 lb |
| Wingspan: | 13.05 m/42 ft 9.75 in; Wing area - 56.48 mē/608.0 sq ft |
| Maximum Speed: | Mach 2.5 (1,635 mph) |
| Cruising Speed: | 400 KTAS |
| Climb Rate: | 50,000 feet/min |
| Service Ceiling: | 65,000 feet |
| Range with CFTs: | 3,450 miles |
| Armament: | Internal 20mm cannon; up to 24 weapons hardpoints |
| Unit Cost: | $43 million - $64 million |
| Crew: | Pilot and Weapons Systems Officer (WSO) |
| Date Deployed: | 1988 |
| Inventory: | Active force: 226 (including E-210 orders); ANG/Reserve: 0 |
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F-15E Strike Eagle Serial Numbers |
|
| Designation | Serial Numbers |
| F-15E-41-MC | 86-0183 -- 86-0184 |
| F-15E-42-MC | 86-0185 -- 86-0190 |
| F-15E-44-MC | 86-0191 -- 86-0210 |
| F-15E-44-MC | 87-0211 -- 87-0216 (cancelled) |
| F-15E-45-MC | 88-1667 -- 88-1687 |
| F-15E-46-MC | 88-1688 -- 88-1708 |
| F-15E-47-MC | 89-0046 -- 89-0063 (cancelled) |
| F-15E-48-MC | 89-0064 -- 89-0081 (cancelled) |
| F-15E-47-MC | 89-0471 -- 89-0488 |
| F-15E-48-MC | 89-0489 -- 89-0506 |
| F-15E-49-MC | 90-0227 -- 90-0232 |
| F-15E-49-MC | 90-0233 -- 90-0244 |
| F-15E-50-MC | 90-0245 -- 90-0262 |
| F-15E-51-MC | 91-0300 -- 91-0317 |
| F-15E-52-MC | 91-0318 -- 91-0335 |
| F-15E-53-MC | 91-0600 -- 91-0605 |
| F-15E-53-MC | 92-0364 -- 92-0366 |
| F-15E-58-MC | 96-0200 -- 96-0205 (E210 series) |
| F-15E-61-MC | 97-0217 -- 97-0222 (E210 series) |
| F-15E-62-MC | 98-0131 -- 98-0135 (E210 series) |
|
Desert Storm Combat Veterans |
|
| 87-0198 | 45 missions |
| 87-0199 | |
| 87-0200 | 54 missions |
| 87-0204 | |
| 87-0208 | |
| 88-1670 | 20 missions |
| 88-1674 | |
| 88-1683 | 49 missions |
| 88-1686 | 52 missions |
| 88-1688 | |
| 88-1694 | |
| 88-1698 | 43 missions |
| 88-1708 | 45 missions |
| 89-0476 | 42 missions |
| 89-0487 | one helicopter kill |
| 89-0489 | 39 missions |
| 87-0196 | |
| 88-1675 | |
| 88-1691 | |