While the slogan of the team who originally designed the F-15 was "Not a pound for air-to-ground," the F-15 has long been recognized as having superior potential in the ground attack role. In 1987 this potential was realized in the form of the F-15E Strike Eagle.
While new to the operational inventory, F-15E Strike Eagles were among the first airframes tasked to react to events in the Persian Gulf in August 1990. The 4th Fighter Wing deployed two F-15E squadrons to Southwest Asia in August and December of that year, and spearheaded an attack on Iraqi forces.
Unlike previous models, the F-15E uses two crew members, a pilot and a weapon systems officer (WSO - pronounced "wizzo"). The two engine dual role fighter capable of speeds up to Mach 2.5. It is capable of carrying an external payload of up to 24,500 pounds, to include fuel tanks, weapons pylons, missiles, and bombs.While retaining the best features of its predecessors, the "E" model is equipped with an array of new avionics and electronics systems.
While previous models of the Eagle are assigned air-to-air roles, the "E" model is a dual-role fighter. It has the capability to fight its way to a target over long ranges, destroy enemy ground positions, and fight its way back out. The F-15E performs day and night all weather air-to-air and air-to-ground missions including strategic strike, interdiction, Offensive Counter Air and Defensive Counter Air. Although primarily a deep interdiction platform, the F-15E can also perform Close Air Support and Escort missions. The F-15E is especially configured for the deep strike mission, venturing far behind enemy lines to attack high value targets with a variety of munitions.
One of the most important additions to the F-15E is the rear cockpit, reserved for a weapon systems officer (WSO). On four television-like screens, the WSO can display information from the radar, electronic warfare or infrared sensors, monitor aircraft or weapon status and possible threats, select targets, and use an electronic "moving map" to navigate. Two hand controls are used to select new displays and to refine targeting information. Displays can be moved from one screen to another, chosen from a "menu" of display options.
In addition to three similar screens in the front seat, the pilot has a tranparent glass screen (head-up display) at eye level that displays vital flight and tactical information. The pilot doesn't need to look down into the cockpit, for instance, to check weapon status. At night, the screen is even more important because it displays a video picture, generated by the forward-looking infrared (FLIR) sensor, that is nearly identical to a daylight view of the world.
Strike Eagles are equipped with LANTIRN, enhancing night PGM delivery capability. The F-15E outbord and inboard wing stations and the centerline can be loaded with various armament. The outboard wing hardpoint are unable to carry heavy loads and are assign for ECM pods. The other hardpoints can be employed for various loads but with the use of multiple ejection racks (MERs). Each MER can hold six Mk-82 bombs or "Snakeye" retarded bombs, or six Mk 20 "Rockeye" dispensers, four CBU-52B, CBU- 58B, or CBU-71B dispensers, a single Mk-84 (907 kg) bomb F- 15E can carry also "smart" weapons, CBU-10 laser quided bomb based on the Mk 84 bomb, CBU-12, CBU-15, or another, laser, electro-optical, or infra-red guided bomb (including AGM-G5 "Maverick" air-to-ground) missiles. For air-to-ground missions, the F-15E can carry most weapons in the Air Force inventory. Italso can be armed with AIM 7F/M Sparrows, AIM-9M Sidewinders, and AIM-120 advanced medium range air-to-air missiles (AMRAAM) for the air-to-air role. The "E" model also has an internally mounted 20mm gun which can carry up to 450 rounds.
Advanced avionics systems give the F-15E the capability to fight at low altitude, day or night, and in bad weather. An inertial navigation system, developed by Honeywell, uses a laser gyro to continuously monitor the aircraft's position and provide information to the central computer and other systems, including a digital moving map in both cockpits.
The cockpit design of the F-15E is one reason it is the most versatile and capable fighter flying today. Seven programmable multi-function displays provide the aircrew with a wealth of information that no aircraft flying today can match. Most functions can be controlled by switches on the throttles and the control stick (referred to as "HOTAS" or Hands On Throttle And Stick). This allows the pilot to control the aircraft's systems without having to remove his hands from the aircraft controls (a significant advantage in demanding phases of flight like an instrument approach in the weather.) The programmable nature of the multi-purpose displays is another outstanding feature that greatly aids the aircrew. For example, the WSO has four displays available in the rear cockpit. On a night low-level mission (using the Terrain Following Radar to fly 500 feet above the ground) most WSOs will have the following information on the displays: Terrain Following Radar, Heads-Up Display (HUD), Air-to-Air radar, Moving Map display. Since each display is programmable, the aircrew can program three separate displays on each multi-function display. Therefore, the WSO can have the engine display (providing the engines' "vital" signs) on the same screen as the Moving Map display. By moving a switch on the hand controller, the engine display replaces the Moving Map display. Hitting the switch again returns the multi-function display to the Moving Map (or the third option if one was programmed).
