F-15 Eagle

F-15 Eagle. . , The F-15 Eagle is an all-weather, extremely maneuverable, tactical fighter designed to permit the Air Force to gain and maintain air supremacy over the battlefield., The F-15's superior maneuverability and acceleration are achieved through high engine thrust-to-weight ration and low wing loading. Low wing-loading (the ratio of aircraft weight to its wing area) is a vital factor in maneuverability and, combined with the high thrust-to-weight ratio, enables the aircraft to turn tightly without losing airspeed., The pilot's head-up display projects on the windscreen all essential flight information gathered by the integrated avionics system. This display, visible in any light condition, provides information necessary to track and destroy an enemy aircraft without having to look down at cockpit instruments., A variety of air-to-air weaponry can be carried by the F-15. An automated weapon system enables the pilot to perform aerial combat safely and effectively, using the head-up display and the avionics and weapons controls located on the engine throttles or control stick. When the pilot changes from one weapon system to another, visual guidance for the required weapon automatically appears on the head-up display., The Eagle can be armed with combinations of four different air-to-air weapons: AIM-7F/M Sparrow missiles or AIM-120 advanced medium range air-to-air missiles on its lower fuselage corners, AIM-9L/M Sidewinder or AIM-120 missiles on two pylons under the wings, and an internal 20mm Gatling gun in the right wing root., This aircraft came from Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, and is on loan from the National Museum of the United States Air Force. When it first arrived here in 1999, it had the orange and white markings of an Air Force flight test aircraft.,

General Characteristics , Primary function: Tactical fighter , Contractor: McDonnell Douglas Corp. , Power plant Two Pratt and Whitney F100-PW-100, 220 or 229 turbofan engines with afterburners , Thrust: (C/D models) 23,450 pounds each engine , Wing span: 42.8 feet , Length: 63.8 feet , Height: 18.5 feet , Speed: 1,875 mph (Mach 2.5 plus) , Maximum takeoff weight: (C/D models) 68,000 pounds , Ceiling: 65,000 feet , Range: 3,450 miles ferry range with conformal fuel tanks and three external fuel tanks , Crew: F-15A/C: one. F-15B/D/E: two , Armament: One internally mounted M-61A1 20-mm, six-barrel cannon with 940 rounds of ammunition; four AIM-9L/M Sidewinder and four AIM-7F/M Sparrow air-to-air missiles, or eight AIM-120 AMRAAMS, carried externally. , Cost: A/B models, $27.9 million; C/D models, $29.9 million , Date deployed: July 1972