Strike Eagle Munitions

STRIKE EAGLE

ARMAMENT and MUNITIONS

M-61A1 CANNON

The M-61A1 Vulcan is a 20mm air cooled, gatling-type gun made by General Electric. This weapon features six rotating barrels which allows for a firing-rate of approximately 6 000 rounds per minute, while at the same time reducing erosion of the barrels, resulting in extended service-life. The rotary action for the F-15's M61A1 is supplied by utility hydraulic power while the rounds are fired electrically. It can accelerate to to maximum firing rate in less than half a second. This gun features a linkless feed system, also powered by the aircraft's hydraulic system.

The barrels and drive mechanism of the cannon are located in the starboard wing root of the F-15E while the 510-round ammunition drum is located along the aircraft's centerline between the forward and center fuselage fuel tanks. The F-15E's ammunition drum carries a total of 510 rounds -- significantly less than the A/B and C/D models which carry a maximum of 940 rounds. A linkless feed chute runs between gun and ammunition drum, supplying the cannon with the ammunition and transporting the spent casings back to the drum.

The gun system is seldom used and only then as a last resort due to a usable range of 3,300 feet. To improve accuracy the aircraft uses a Gun Director System (GDS) which computes radar target speed and direction to anticipate the impact site for the bullets. The target reticle will be on the target aircraft while the gun is pointing well ahead of the target to compensate for target motion.

AIR TO AIR MISSILES

AIM-120 AMRAAM: The AIM-120 advanced medium-range air-to-air missile (AMRAAM) is is a follow-on to the AIM-7 Sparrow missile. The missile is faster, smaller and lighter, and has improved capabilities against low-altitude targets. It incorporates active radar with an inertial reference unit and micro-computer system, which makes the missile less dependent upon the fire-control system of the aircraft. Once the missile closes on a target, its active radar guides it to intercept. This enables the pilot to aim and fire several missiles simultaneously at multiple targets. The pilot may then perform evasive maneuvers while the missiles guide themselves to their targets.
AIM-7M Sparrow: The AIM-7 is a radar-guided, medium range air-to-air missile with a high-explosive warhead. The versatile Sparrow has all-weather, all-altitude operational capability and can attack high-performance aircraft and missiles from any direction. Twenty-two Iraqi fixed-wing aircraft and three Iraqi helicopters were downed by radar-guided AIM-7 Sparrow missiles in the Persian Gulf War.
AIM-9M(-9) Sidewinder: The AIM-9 Sidewinder is a short range, heat-seeking, air-to-air missile carried by fighter aircraft. It has a high-explosive warhead and an active infrared guidance system. The AIM-9M has an all-aspect tracking capability. The -9 model has improved defense against infrared countermeasures, enhanced background discrimination capability, and a reduced-smoke rocket motor. These modifications increase ability to locate and lock-on a target and decrease the missile's chances for detection. The AIM-9M can be "slaved" to the F-15's radar so that the missile seeker head looks in the direction of targets being tracked by the radar.

AIR TO GROUND ORDNANCE

The F-15E is capable of employing nearly every weapon system in the USAF's inventory, including a wide range of precision-strike ordnance. In addition to the sheer variety of weapons that the F-15E is capable of delivering, the design features of the aircraft allow it to carry aloft an impressive amount of ordnance. The F-15E owes this to both the structural enhancements to its airframe, and the Conformal Fuel Tanks that that run along either side of the fuselage. In addition to adding nearly 10,000# of additional fuel to the aircraft without the extensive drag penalty of external tanks, the CFTs provide additional hardpoints from which ordnance can be mounted.

Each CFT features a lower row made up of a continuous ordnance pylon running fore-to-aft and an upper row made up of three stub pylons. The lower row can be configured with two AIM-7 or AIM-120s (on LAU-128 launchers), or three 1000#-class bombs such as the Mk-82, two 2,000# class bombs such as the Mk-84, or two bombs with guidance-packages on the BRU-47 racks. The upper row typically features one 1,000# class bomb per BRU-46 for a total of three bombs, or a total of two small bombs equipped with guidance-packages. No air-to-air missiles can be mounted along this upper row. In addition to the CFTs, the F-15E features three additional stations, one on each wing and a single hardpoint along the aircraft centerline. Stations 2, 5, and 8 can each accommodate a 4,100# (600 gallon) fuel tank which can be discarded. Extremely heavy ordnance or air-to-surface missiles are mounted on the wing-stations due to the strength and clearance of these hardpoints.

Stations 1 and 9 are built into the airframe on the wings just outside stations 2 and 8. These stations are not currently wired to utilize any ordnance, fuel tanks, or electronic warfare pods, but are available for expansion upgrades in the future.

The F-15E can carry up to 26 A/G weapons at a time to include the following weapons:

Air to Ground Conventional Munitions	Description
BDU-33	25# practice bomb which emits a white smoke charge for target hit or miss assessment.
MK-82 Low Drag General Purpose Bomb	Free Fall unguided 500 lb bomb. Can be fitted with various fuses and free fall retarding systems -- the basis for many "smart" weapons.
MK-84 Low drag General Purpose Bomb	Free Fall unguided 2,000 lb bomb. Can be fitted with various fuses and free fall retarding systems -- the basis for many "smart" weapons.
MK-82AIR High Drag GP Bomb	A MK-82 500 pound bomb with a BSU-49 ("Ballute", or balloon/parachute) high-drag fin system used to slow the fall of the bomb and increase accuracy while increasing damage by keeping the detonation nearer the surface.
MK-84AIR High Drag GP Bomb	This is a larger version of the MK-82AIR using a MK-84 2,000 pound GP bomb with the larger BSU-50 retard system.
Air to Ground Dispensers	Description
CBU-87 Combined Effects Munition	The CBU (Cluster Bomb Unit) is a freefall canister containing 202 armor piercing submunitions. The submunitions contain shape charges which detonate on impact. During flight the canister can be set to timed or proximity opening. To hit a large area, such as an open troop concentration, the canister would open at a higher altitude to give the bomblets a greater spread.
CBU-89 Gator Mine	The Gator contains 94 gator mines which is a mixture of high-tech anti-armor and anti-personnel mines. These can be dropped to pin down enemy troops until they can be carpet bombed.
CBU-97 SFW	The sensor fuzed weapon is an elaborate cluster munition designed to kill vehicles emitting IR energy. It contains 40 "hockey puck" shaped skeet infrared sensing projectiles. If the projectile's sensor detects a vehicle's infrared signature, an explosively formed penetrator fires at the heat source.
Air to Ground Guided Weapons	Description
AGM-65 Maverick	This highly accurate, high explosive missile uses a variety of guidance systems to deliver up to 300 lbs of explosives. A rocket motor is used to power the weapon while it is guided by one of two methods: T.V. or infrared guidance. Best used against hardened targets.
GBU-10/12 Paveway I/II	The Paveway I was the first operational laser guided bomb. The GBU-10 consists of an MK-84 2,000 pound bomb with an added laser guidance package. The GBU-10A/B mates a BLU-109B weapon with a Paveway II laser guidance kit. This improved 2,000-pound bomb is used against targets requiring deeper penetration. GBU-12 utilizes a 500-pound general purpose warhead.
GBU-15	This is a MK-84, 2,000 lb bomb with a nose cone guidance system and tail fins to maneuver it. Once released the bomb glides to its target while the guidance package steers to the target (designated with a laser) by moving the tail fins.
GBU-24 PavewayIII	consists of either a 2,000-pound MK-84 general purpose or BLU-109 penetrator bomb modified with a Paveway III low-level laser-guided bomb kit to add the proportional guidance in place of the bang-bang type used in the Paveway II. Performance envelopes for all modes of delivery are improved because the larger wings of the GBU-24 increases maneuverability. Paveway III also has increased seeker sensitivity and a larger field of regard.
GBU-28 Penetrator	The GBU-28 is a 5,000-pound laser-guided conventional munition that uses a 4,400-pound penetrating warhead. The BLU-113 warheads are modified Army artillery tubes, weigh 4,637 pounds, and contain 630 pounds of high explosives. The BLU-113A is a casing specially forged for the penetrator. When they are fitted with GBU-27 LGB kits, they measure 14.5 inches in diameter and almost 19 feet long.
AGM-130	Weighing in at over 2,900 lbs the AGM-130 is a GBU-15 with a large rocket motor mounted beneath it. This rocket motor allows the weapon to be fired at a distance from the target while the aircrew guides it to the target optically with a telemetry pod..

*In addition to the above conventional weapons, the F-15E can also carry the B-61 tactical nuclear bomb