When the USAF learned of the new Russian MiG-25 "Foxbat" fighter they feared the Soviet aircraft was almost certainly superior in performance to their existing McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II jet fighters, the American answer to this scenario was the McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F-15 Eagle of 1972. The F-15E Strike Eagle is an improved variant evolved from the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle and entered service with the USAF in July 1989. The most unbelievable event involving an F-15 occurred in Israel when one of it's F-15's was involved in an air-to-air collision with a Douglas A-4 Skyhawk, the Skyhawk exploded and the F-15 lost one of it's wings, however it returned to base and successfully landed, was re-winged and flew again! not possible? McDonnell-Douglas, the aircraft's original manufacture, thought so and refused to believe it until shown a video recording of the incident! It is of note that all F-15's in service were grounded in November 2007 following the in-air break-up of a Missouri Air National Guard F-15C. The F-15C and F-15D fighters are due to be replaced by the F-22 Raptor as they become available, the ground attack variant, the F-15E, is to remain in service possibly until 2025. F-15C Eagle Specifications: Crew: Pilot only Length: 63 ft 9 in (19.43 m) Wingspan: 42 ft 10 in (13.05 m) Height: 18 ft 6 in (5.63 m) Empty weight: 28,000 lb (12,700 kg) Loaded weight: 44,500 lb (20,200 kg) Max takeoff weight: 68,000 lb (30,845 kg) Engines: Twin 29,000 lbf Pratt & Whitney F100 afterburning turbofans Maximum speed: Mach 2.5+ (1875 mph, 3018 km/h) Combat radius: 1,061 nmi (1,222 mi, 1,967 km) for interdiction mission Service ceiling 65,000 ft (20,000 m) Rate of climb: 50,000 ft/min (254 m/s)
Armament: Hard-points: four wing, four fuselage with the capability to carry the following missiles: AIM-7F Sparrow AIM-120 AMRAAM AIM-9 Sidewinders
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