F-15 Eagle

[KJ_Lesnick]

F-15 intakes wouldn't have worked as well as the final F-111 ones down low and fast.  The chief problem would be inlet lip temperature F-15 ramp intakes were designed for medium-high altitudes.  This is why the F-111 was always so difficult to catch for interceptors.   It could go faster down low than they could.

That doesn't make much sense -- how hot could the intake get on the F-15 flying at Mach 1.2 in the weeds?  The F-15 could fly as fast as a MiG-25 up high with the V-max switch

[rickshaw]

F-15 intakes wouldn't have worked as well as the final F-111 ones down low and fast.  The chief problem would be inlet lip temperature F-15 ramp intakes were designed for medium-high altitudes.  This is why the F-111 was always so difficult to catch for interceptors.   It could go faster down low than they could.

That doesn't make much sense -- how hot could the intake get on the F-15 flying at Mach 1.2 in the weeds?  The F-15 could fly as fast as a MiG-25 up high with the V-max switch

You must remember, high altitude = lower density air.   One of the things which caused so much trouble for the F-111 was getting the intakes right to allow it to fly sustained high speeds at low altitude.  It wasn't really until they got to the F-111E with its "triple plow" intakes that they got it right.   The F-15 was always designed to be an fighter at medium-high altitude so it didn't need intakes which could "cleave the air" in quite the way the F-111 could.  It's intakes were designed to "gulp" low density air, whereas the F-111's were designed to "sip" high density air.   These are the closest analogies I can provide.   I've read numerous accounts of F-111s at Red Flag exercises posing real difficulties for teen series fighters.   When the USAF retired it's F-111s, they used to invite RAAF ones simply because they no longer had anything which could do those ultra-level flight profiles.

BTW, Buccaneers were nearly as difficult and they only flew subsonically.  F-16s found them a real handful apparently.

Of course, with real "look-down-shoot-down" facilities, it should be possible to make the missile do the work for you. 

[kitnut617]

A properly designed intake like the F-15's could easily be made to fly at sea level, and you only have to look at the RAF's own Tornados to see that they do work.  Tornados have ramp style intakes and by all accounts the Tornado flies very well at low level --- and was designed right from the get-go to do that !

[Spey_Phantom]

BUMP

i found this rather interesting picture.
i remember some time ago, seeing pictures of Old Israeli F-15A/B/C/D's with conformal fuel tanks.
a bit of research indicated that these Israeli built CFT were meant to increase the range of the IDF/AF's older eagles aswell as adding an improved secondary air-to-ground capability, similar to that of the F-15I.
at first i thought the system would take away the Eagle's Sparrow pylons, but now i was proved wrong (hard to find pictures of F-15C's with CFT's and armament.)

now i recently came across pictures of USAF aircraft sporting these new CFT's.
are these going to be standard on all new/old air defence configured eagles?

[Gondor]

now i recently came across pictures of USAF aircraft sporting these new CFT's.
are these going to be standard on all new/old air defence configured eagles?

The F-15 C/D versions have always been able to carry the CFT's, in fact aircraft based as Reykjavik carried them regularly, they were also designed from the start to be able to carry ordinance and were not specifically Israeli built to do so. They may be built by the Israelis as part of an industrial offset though.

Gondor

[ChernayaAkula]

Those pics are at least 25 years old! And even then carrying ground-pounding stuff was a very rare occurrence. The only US fighter Eagles that train for air-to-ground today are the Louisiana ANG Eagles. And they only train using their Vulcan against ground targets (against possible drug runners, I guess). ISTR there was some talk of fitting them with Sniper pods for improved targeting.
The CFTs (called FAST packs on fighter Eagles) seen on fighter Eagles are only able to carry AAMs (although the Israelis apparently also fit ECM pods there). They only increase air-to-ground capabilities insofar as they free up the other pylons usually reserved for tanks.
The US fighter Eagles rarely carry them because, according to an F-15 pilot, "(both) pilots and maintainers hated them" and a centre-line drop tank is/was usually sufficient and mush easier to deal with. As Gondor said, the only ones to routinely employ the CFTs were the F-15s in Iceland.
The CFTs seen on Strike Eagles are (internally) very different beasts, stressed for much higher loads (as is the F-15E itself) and with more pylons.

[ysi_maniac]

F-15E with Phantom wings

[NARSES2]

I like that 

[PR19_Kit]

Looks positively EVIL from head on! 

[ysi_maniac]

[ysi_maniac]

MDD Goshawk II
IMO maybe downgraded in performance, but upgraded in coolness!!!

[McColm]

Was there ever an F-15 with F-22 wings or was that an urban myth?

[tahsin]

Development Project, I think for the UAE competition that was won by the F-16E/F Block 60. Angled for Stealth, not taken from the Lockheed.

[Jesse220]

Has anyone done the delta winged F-15?

[leptiprince]

Projet de what if  for me...