The F-15C Eagle redefined the term ‘air superiority’. Today it remains in service, but it might be the US Air Force that finally kills it off…
FORCE REPORT
USAF FIGHTERS
IT SEEMS INCREDIBLE that, in an era of fth-generation ghters, 30-year-old F-15C Eagles remain the backbone of air superiority for the US Air Force alongside the F-22 Raptor — the jet that was ultimately supposed to replace them. The F-15 is the jet that textbooks boast as the ultimate ghter — the impressive official kill ratio of 105-to-nil leaves no-one in any doubt.
Unlike the Raptor, the F-15 has participated in a major shooting war — Operation ‘Desert Storm’ — and this helped forge its fearsome reputation. Today, three active-duty and six Air National Guard squadrons y around 179 F-15Cs and two-seat F-15D trainers.
The most significant recent upgrade is the addition of the new Raytheon AN/APG-63(V)3 active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, which is being introduced across the F-15C fleet. When combined with the potent new AIM-120D variant of the Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM), it means the Eagle’s talons reach to impressive distances in beyond visual range (BVR) engagements.
Of course, maintaining 30-year-…
