Hobby Master HA4528 | McDonnell Douglas F15DJ Eagle "JASDF Aggressor" 92-8068, JASDF, 2013

In 1967 the U.S. became aware of the Soviet MiG-25 Foxbat. This made it necessary to develop a new aircraft to counter the MiG-25. The USAF rejected the USN F-14 Tomcat and issued its own requirements. The solution came in the form of the McDonnell-Douglas (now Boeing) F-15 Eagle. The F-15A made its inaugural flight in July 1972 and in January 1976 the first Eagle entered service. The "E" entered service in 1989. The F-15 was the first dedicated USAF air superiority fighter since the F-86 Sabre.

The aircraft

JASDF F-15DJ 92-8068 was built by Mitsubishi and is assigned to Japan’s dedicated Aggressor Squadron (Hiko Kyodotai) located at Nyutabaru. The squadron provides air combat training and will on occasion travel to other bases to assist with training. Most aircraft assigned to the Aggressor Squadron are painted in bright schemes and in 2012 92-8068 wore a two-tone brown and grey scheme but on June 13, 2012 the aircraft was sent for a newer modernized scheme. In April, 2013 92-8068 was rolled out wearing new two-tone blue and grey colors.

Specifications for the McDonnell Douglas (Boeing) F-15 Eagle
F-15J is basically a "C" variant except for some electronics changes
Role
C – Single-seat, all-weather, air-superiority fighter - 483 built
D – Dual-seat variant of the C – 92 built
E – Dual-seat, all-weather, multi-role strike fighter - 237 built
Dimensions
Length - C/D/E 63 ft 9 in (19.43 m)
Wingspan
C/D – 42 ft 10 in (13.06 m) E – 42 ft 9.75 in (13.05 m)
Height
C/D – 18 ft 8 in (5.69 m) E – 63 ft 9 in (5.63 m)
Weights
Empty
C/D - 28,600 lb (12793 kg) E – 31,700 lb (14,379 kg)
Maximum Take-off C/D – 68,000 lb (30,844 kg) E – 81,000 lb (36,741 kg)
Engines
C/D – 2 X P&W F100-PW turbofans with afterburners, each engine rated @ 25,000 thrust (11,250 kg)
E/F – Prior to August 1991 - 2 X P&W F100-P-220 turbofans, each rated @ 14,670 ls st (65.26 kN) dry and 23,830 lb st (106.0 kN) with afterburners
After August 1991 – 2 X P&W F100-PW-229 turbofans, each rated @ 17,800 lb st (79.18 kN) dry and 29,100 lb st (129.45 kN) with afterburners
Range
C/D
Ferry - 3,450 miles (3,000 nm) with CFTs + 3 X external fuel tanks
E
Ferry – 3,570 miles (3,100 nm) with CFTs + drop tanks
With Drop Tanks only – 2,765 miles (2,400 nm)
Normal Combat Radius – 790 miles (685 nm)
Maximum Combat Radius – 1,150 miles (1,000 nm)
Speeds
C/D – 1,875 mph (Mach 2.5 +)
E Maximum Level Flight Clean @ High Altitude – 1,650 mph (2,655 km/h) Cruise @ Optimum Altitude – 570 mph (917 km/h)
Ceiling
C/D – 65,000 ft (19,697 m)
E – 60,000 ft (18,290 m) Armament
C 1 X M-61A1 20mm multi-barrel internal gun, 940 rounds of ammunition 4 X AIM-9L/M Sidewinders And 4 X AIM-7F/M Sparrow missiles Or Missile Combination - AIM-9L/M, AIM-7-F/M and AIM-120
E 1 X M-61A1 20mm multi-barrel internal gun, 512 rounds of ammunition 4 X AIM-9L/M Sidewinder on the under-wing stations
And
4 X AIM-7F/M Sparrow missiles conformal fuel tank Maximum 8 X AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles
12 X CBU-52 (6 with wing tanks)
12 X CBU-59 (6 with wing tanks)
12 X CBU-71 (6 with wing tanks)
12 X CBU-87 (6 with wing tanks)
12 X CBU-89 (6 with wing tanks)
20 X MK-20 (6 with wing tanks)