Today's Story: Eagles at Eglin

Let's take a look at what makes the F15EX Eagle II the Ultimate Eagle:
The F-15 Eagle is the embodiment of the air superiority fighter, having been in continuous service with the US Air Force for nearly 50 years.  A fighter with an unprecedented 100+ to zero kill ratio, the F15 was made even better by the introduction of the two seat long range strike fighter version known as the F15E Strike Eagle.  Today the F15E is the most requested asset for Middle East Combat operations - the reason? Loiter or on station time: The Strike Eagle can carry as much fuel as its empty weight.  To put that in context the F15E can carry as much fuel as the total weight of a fully fueled F16!  Along with this, the Strike Eagle has a Weapons System officer or WSO which acts as another brain and set of eyes in the cockpit.  The WSO has various dedicated standardized roles, for example during close air support missions, the WSO exclusively uses the targeting pod, freeing up the pilot and minimizing the time to kill chain.  Another example is when a Strike Eagle pilot is busy refueling, the WSO can receive and copy an interdiction message from a JTAC controller on the ground, something that would be impossible in a single pilot cockpit.  The Strike Eagle also makes use of one of the best Active Electronically Scanned Array or AESA radars in service.  The F15E's AN/APG-82 AESA radar represents a continuous evolution of the F15's sensor suite, providing unprecedented situational awareness, jamming capabilities, and range.  The F15's large size is an asset here, allowing it to fit a much larger and more potent radar sensor package than would be possible to fit in smaller fighters. Additionally the Strike Eagle makes use of a built-in satellite radio, allowing it to communicate over the horizon to critical nodes or assets.
Keep in mind everything mentioned so far has been about the existing F15E Strike Eagles, now let's get into what makes the EX version so special, and why it's a win-win for the USAF.

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Let's listen to the story of what could be the most modified F15 ever: F15 serial number 71-0290

In case you missed the first two parts: 

Part 1: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1555784/8225091

Part 2: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1555784/8270521

Video:  https://youtu.be/IhPhxWgpaC8

The F-15 known as serial number 71-0290 rolled off the assembly lines and into history in 1973 as the sixth F-15 ever produced and the first two seater F-15.  Intended to be used as a trainer for the then all new F-15, this model was given the designation TF-15.  That may have been enough to make it a notable Eagle, but almost from its beginnings this airplane was destined for research and discovery.  In the late 1970s the development teams at the Langley Research Center began exploring the concepts and benefits of thrust vectoring. These studies looked at 2D thrust vectoring along with thrust reversing and as early as 1982 a model of an F-15 with 2D nozzles was produced.  Shortly thereafter, aircraft 71-0291 was fitted with 2D nozzles and canards and flown as a proof of concept.  Based on this a contract was awarded to further study these enhancements and this became known as the STOL/MTD or Short Takeoff and Landing/Maneuver Technology Demonstrator. 

If you enjoy this episode, subscribe to this podcast, you can find links to many podcast streaming services here:

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You can check out my YouTube channel for many videos on fighter planes here:

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And finally you can follow me on Twitter here:

https://twitter.com/pilotphotog 

 

Support the show

To help support this podcast and become a PilotPhotog ProCast member: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1555784/support

If you enjoy this episode, subscribe to this podcast, you can find links to most podcast streaming services here:

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Let’s take a look at how the Eagle became the Strike Eagle

Overview

The F15E Strike Eagle is a dual-role fighter meaning it is capable of performing both  air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. The Strike Eagle is a twin engine, twin tailed fourth generation fighter capable of taking the fight down to low altitude and operating day or night in virtually any weather. 

Developed from  the hugely successful F-15 fighter, the Strike Eagle was created to fly long range interdiction missions or deep air support without the need for a fighter escort or electronic warfare aircraft.  Notable features that distinguish the Strike Eagle from the F15C Eagle are tandem seats, conformal fuel tanks, and a typically darker camouflage. 

If you enjoy this episode, subscribe to this podcast, you can find links to many podcast streaming services here:

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#F15 #strike #eagle #story 

Support the show

To help support this podcast and become a PilotPhotog ProCast member: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1555784/support

If you enjoy this episode, subscribe to this podcast, you can find links to most podcast streaming services here:

PilotPhotog Podcast (buzzsprout.com)

Sign up for the free weekly newsletter Hangar Flyingwith Tog here:

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You can check out my YouTube channel for many videos on fighter planes here:

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