- Primary function: Air-to-ground attack aircraft
- Contractor: The Boeing Company
- Power plant: Two Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-220 or 229 turbofan engines with afterburners
- Thrust: 25,000 – 29,000 pounds each engine
- Wingspan: 42.8 feet (13 meters)
- Length: 63.8 feet (19.44 meters)
- Height: 18.5 feet (5.6 meters)
- Weight: 37,500 pounds ( 17,010 kilograms)
- Maximum takeoff weight: 81,000 pounds (36,450 kilograms)
- Fuel capacity: 35,550 pounds (three external tanks plus conformal fuel tanks)
- Payload: depends upon mission
- Crew: Pilot and weapon systems officer
- Unit cost: $31.1 million (fiscal year 98 constant dollars)
- Initial operating capability: September 1989
- Inventory: 219 total force
- Maximum Range: 2,400 miles (3,840 kilometers) ferry range with conformal fuel tanks and three external fuel tanks
- Maximum Ceiling: 60,000 feet (18,288 meters)
- Maximum Speed: 1,875 mph (Mach 2.5 plus)
- Armament: One 20mm multibarrel gun mounted internally with 500 rounds of ammunition. Four AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles and four AIM-120 AMRAAM or eight AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles. Any air-to-surface weapon in the Air Force inventory (nuclear and conventional)
The F-15E, developed in the mid 1980’s, is a dual-role fighter designed to perform air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. An array of avionics and electronics systems give the F-15E the capability to fight at low or high altitude, day or night, and in all weather. The F-15E is the USAF’s premier strike fighter still in use today.
The F-15E delivered fighter aircrew several first-time capabilities. Its APG-70 radar, based on the very capable APG-63 from the F-15A-D, boasted a synthetic mapping capability that literally created pictures of the target based solely on radar imaging. A self-contained, networked electronic warfare suite gave the aircraft self-protection capabilities. Bringing this all together and placing battlespace information at the hands of the crew, a sophisticated, air-to-ground with an ergonomic cockpit layout that was developed to take full advantage of the latest technology and advances in such areas with Multi-Purpose Displays.
The Low-Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night (LANTIRN) allows the aircraft to fly at low altitudes, at night and in all weather conditions, to attack ground targets with a variety of precision-guided and unguided weapons. The LANTIRN system, consisting of two pods attached to the exterior of the aircraft, gives the F-15E unequaled accuracy in weapons delivery day or night and in foul weather. The Navigation Pod contains a Terrain-Following Radar that allows the pilot to safely fly at a very low altitude following cues displayed on a heads-up display. This system can also be coupled to the aircraft’s autopilot to provide “hands off” capability.
Each of the low-drag Conformal Fuel Tanks that hang on the F-15E’s fuselage can carry 750 gallons of fuel. The tanks hold weapons on short pylons rather than conventional weapon racks, reducing drag and further extending the range of the Strike Eagle. For air-to-ground missions, the F-15E can carry most weapons in the Air Force’s inventory. It may also be armed with AIM-9M Sidewinders or AIM-120C Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM) for the air-to-air role. The “E” model also has an internally mounted 20mm gun that can carry approximately 500 rounds.
The subject of this study level simulation is the F-15E Suite 4E+ software installed in F-15E’s in around 2003.
