The F-15 was designed as an all-weather
air-superiority fighter, first flying in 1972. The F-15E entered service in
1989 as a long-range strike figher - essentially, a bomber version of the F-15.
The F-15I Ra'am (Thunder) is a variant of the F-15E specially designed to
Israeli specifications. In air combat, the F-15 has 104 kills to 0 losses. Over
half of these kills were made by the
Israeli Air Force, including several kills against the MIG-25 Foxbat - the
aircraft which the F-15 was originally designed to kill. In 1983, after a
colliding with another aircraft, an Israeli pilot flying an F-15 lost most of
his right wing. Ignoring orders to eject, the pilot managed to land the aircraft
successfully.
General
characteristics
o Crew: 1
o Length:
63.8 ft (19.44 m)
o Wingspan:
42.8 ft (13 m)
o Height:
18.5 ft (5.6 m)
o Wing
area: 608 ft² (56.5 m²)
o Airfoil:
NACA 64A006.6 root, NACA 64A203 tip
o Empty
weight: 28,000 lb (12,700 kg)
o Loaded
weight: 44,500 lb (20,200 kg)
o Max
takeoff weight: 68,000 lb (30,845 kg)
o Powerplant
: 2× Pratt & Whitney F100-220 or 229 afterburning turbofans
o Dry
thrust: 17,450 lbf () each
o
Thrust
with afterburner: 25,000 lbf (-220) or 29,000 lbf-(229) each
