"Special" F-15 Roundel

[TheChronicOne]

I can find stuff that tells me that the U.S. F-15 A and B had these border-less roundels on the front sides of the fuselage(Thanks JayBee for correcting me) but I can't seem to figure out WHY.

The "normal" one for Comparison:



I've tried googling it to no avail.   Does anyone know?

[PR19_Kit]

They got sucked into those MASSIVE intakes? 

[TheChronicOne]

They got sucked into those MASSIVE intakes? 

LMAO!!

[Captain Canada]

They ran out of blue sticker material ? lol never noticed that !

[TheChronicOne]

They ran out of blue sticker material ? lol never noticed that !

It was news to me, too. Maybe 3 weeks ago I learned of this. It's weird. I want to learn more.

It's reminiscent of the 1943 US roundel with the red border that lasted two months. It's an oddity, as far as I'm concerned, and needs an explanation. 

[NARSES2]

Another one who's not noticed it before 

I've an old Hasegawa F.15 in the stash (first tooling they did ?) I need to find it and check the transfer sheet. Mind you it might be a prototype.

[Gondor]

As far as I can tell from my copy of Modern Combat Aircraft, all the F-15 Fighters have the border less star and bar and I am sure from looking at the pictures that with a border the star and bar would stick out like a sore thumb on the aircraft.

Gondor

[JayBee]

I have just checked my Squadron Signal "In Action" No. 24, F-15 Eagle, published 1976.....................................

and it was not just the forward fuselage, the wings had the same style of roundel.

I agree with Gondor that it was most probably a visibility thing.

I have checked USAF Tech. Order TO 1-1-4 (1994) and this gives no clues as to the lack of the outer border.

[TheChronicOne]

Is this maybe the point at which the US started moving toward low-vis stuff? Looking around at modern aircraft some don't have the roundels on the sides at all. Some do:



.....and the ones on the wings are small, low vis type:
 

[kerick]

Maybe it's just part of the Air Superiority Blue paint scheme.

[Dizzyfugu]

Maybe it's just part of the Air Superiority Blue paint scheme.

I think so. AFAIK, these rimless roundels also appreared on the all-blue F-16 prototype - I think they were part of initial low-viz experiments for air superiority fighters, and survived on the F-15 through the initial batches until they where replaced by the outline versions (I think the F-15 did not carry grey roundels, IIRC, only the F-16?).

[TheChronicOne]

Interesting, thank you.  Roundels and fin flash, etc. are fascinating to me so I eat this stuff up.