How Are The Two Fighter Jets Different?

One of the most impressive fighter jets in the U.S. Air Force’s inventory was the F-15 Eagle. For a while, it was the F-15 and F-16 Falcon at the center of the branch’s aerial strategy. However, it was the Eagle that truly became a legend in its heyday. Despite its superiority, it’s common practice for defense companies to design iterative versions of the same vehicle, improving on its capabilities. Aerospace firms will create a version with one seat, another with two seats, one geared toward air-to-air combat and another for other purposes, depending on the needs written into a proposal request from the military branches. That’s what McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) did with the F-15.

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The F-15 Eagle has been around since the 1970s, first entering service for the Air Force in ’74. It’s an admirable aircraft that struck fear into the hearts of rival pilots. It could maintain its airspeed without decreasing on tight turns and was the first operational jet for the Air Force that could accelerate in a steep climb. This was because its engines’ thrust exceeded its loaded weight — something few fighter jets could accomplish. However, the original F-15A/B was replaced by the F-15C/D in 1979 with its superior maneuverability, power, range, weapons, and avionics. The F-15E Strike Eagle then entered service in September 1989, expanding the interceptor’s role.

The F-15 Strike Eagle was the premiere air-to-air fighter of its time. It was synonymous with air superiority. The pulse-Doppler radar system it was equipped with let the pilot easily pinpoint both high and low-flying targets without any targets beneath the jet being confused for ground-based objects. This made it an exceptionally dangerous aircraft. It had no issue outperforming any enemy aircraft at the time. Furthermore, there was zero risk that the pilot would ever confuse an enemy aircraft for a friendly since it had an “identification friend or foe” system.

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McDonnell Douglas, before Boeing absorbed the aviation company, built the Eagle with two Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-100, 220 or 229 turbofan engines capable of producing 23,450 pounds of thrust each. It was the low wing-loading combined with the plane’s high thrust-to-weight ratio that made it so maneuverable and dangerous in a dogfight. It could fly faster than Mach 2 (1,875 mph) and had a ceiling of 65,000 feet. With a range of 3,450 miles max, pilots had no trouble accomplishing their missions and returning to base with plenty of fuel leftover.

Boeing designed the F-15E Strike Eagle to tackle both air-to-air and air-to-surface missions with a focus on air-to-surface. Rain or shine, night or day, the Strike Eagle could accomplish its missions low to the ground under most conditions without issue. To accomplish this, Boeing built the cockpit to accommodate two: the pilot and a weapon systems officer or WSO. That rear seat is modified to include four multi-purpose CRT displays, allowing the WSO to manage the jet’s weapons as well as keep an eye on a digital moving map and other systems.

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Lt. Col. Eric Ostendorf broke down a WSO’s role in the cockpit in a Facebook video, saying, “Having two crew members allows you to divide up all those complicated tasks that are required by modern fighter tactics.”

The Strike Eagle was built with two Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-220 or 229 turbofan engines that can produce 25,000 pounds of thrust each dry or 29,000 pounds of thrust with the afterburners. With afterburners engaged, the Strike Eagle could reach a maximum airspeed of Mach 2.5, letting it get in and out of hostile situations quickly. It had a fuel capacity of 35,550 pounds, allowing it to travel 2,400 miles.

During the Persian Gulf WarF-15E Strike Eagles got to take full advantage of the low-altitude navigation and targeting infrared for night (LANTIRN) system. These two pods attached to the jet’s exterior gave it unparalleled accuracy, especially at night or in poor weather conditions. That was when the USAF primarily deployed Strike Eagles during the Gulf War, too, allowing them to hunt SCUD missile launchers and artillery sites undetected. It wasn’t just the LANTIRN system that set these two Eagles apart from one another. They were outfitted with a different weapon loadout due to their different roles.

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The F-15A/C Eagle was designed primarily for dogfighting. In addition to its six-barrel M-61A1 20-mm cannon, it would also fly with either four AIM-9 Sidewinder and four AIM-120 AMRAAMs or eight AIM-120 AMRAAMs. The Strike Eagle, on the other hand, could arm itself with all the same air-to-air weaponry but since it was also designed for ground strikes, it could be outfitted with any air-to-surface weapon in the Air Force’s inventory, including nuclear ones.

As impressive as both of these jets have been, many have exceeded their life expectancy and are being phased out. Now the F-15EX Eagle II is taking to the skies. It might look the same but it’s essentially a whole new fighter jet.