F-15 Eagle
General Characteristics

Primary function: Tactical fighter
Contractor: McDonnell Douglas Corp.
Power plant: Two Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-220 or 229 turbofan engines with afterburners
Thrust: (C/D models) 23,450 pounds each engine
Wing span: 42.8 feet (13 meters)
Length: 63.8 feet (19.44 meters)
Height: 18.5 feet (5.6 meters)
Speed: 1,875 mph (Mach 2.5 plus)
Maximum takeoff weight: (C/D models) 68,000 pounds (30,844 kilograms)
Ceiling: 65,000 feet (19,812 meters)
Range: 3,450 miles (3,000 nautical 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 20mm 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.
Unit Cost: A/B models - $30.1 million;C/D models - $34.3 million (flyaway costs)
Date deployed: July 1972
Inventory: Active force, 396; Reserve, 0; ANG,126.
McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle variants
F-15A: Initial single-seat production version for USAF and Israeli Air Force, with internal fuel limited to 11,635 lb (5278 kg).
F-15B: Initial two-seat trainer version of F-15A, weighing approximately 800 lb (363 kg) more empty: overall dimensions unchanged but canopy shape revised to allow for second pilot.
F-15C: Improved single-seater with 13,455 lb (6103 kg) of internal fuel, provision for FAST packs, and a programmable radar signal processor; ordered by USAF and Royal Saudi air force, and forms the basis for the F-15J.
F-15D: Two-seat equivalent of F-15C.
F-15DJ: Two-seater for Japan, based on F-15D.
F-15E: Two-seat operational aircraft for USAF with increased emphasis on ground attack; has larger HUD, higher capacity computer, improved equipment cooling, forward-looking infa-red (FLIR) and provision for Maverick and AMRAAM.
F-15J: Single-seater for Japan, based on F-15C, but with locally-developed electronic warfare equipment and CGI data-link; most of these aircraft to be built by Mitsubishi under licence.
TF-15: Original designation for F-15B; abandoned on 1 December 1977.
Strike Eagle: McAir private-venture two-seater with all-weather ground attack capability based on synthetic aperture radar (modified APG-63).
First Flight
The F-15 was also to have had Philco-Ford GAU-7A 25-mm Gatling gun with caseless ammunition. In this concept the projectile is bonded to a solid block of propellant, to eliminate the weight of the normal case and the time needed to extract it after firing.
Unfortunately, development problems with the gun and its revolutionary ammunition led to its cancellation, and the F-15 reverted to the well-proven General-Electric M61 Vulcan gun that arms most American fighters.
The first F-15A was formally rolled out in June 1972, and had its maiden flight on 27 July, being followed by the first two-seater on 7 July 1973. Funding for the first 30 production aircraft was released late in 1973, and for a further 77 aircraft (to complete the first wing) a year later. The first of 729 production F-15s then planned (one in seven being a two-seater) left the ground on 25 November 1974. Initial operational capability was declared on July 1975, following delivery of the 24th aircraft. The first wing was fully equipped by the end of 1976.
The Hughes APG-70 radar provides high-resolution ground-mapping data that enable F-15 crews to identify targets at great distances, which significantly increases situational awareness and survivability. The Lockheed Martin Low Altitude Navigation and Targeting Infrared for Night  in short LANTIRN system allows the plane to be flown at high speed and low altitude at night and in bad weather to strike targets with precision.