The F-15E Strike Eagle is the US Air Force (USAF)'s air-to-air and air-to-ground multirole fighter, serving a multitude of roles including conventional air-to-air combat as well as long-range operations, high-speed deep-strike interdiction, and nuclear delivery.

The USAF first took delivery of the F-15E in 1989. It now has 218 F-15Es averaging 30 years of age.

With more than 30 years in service, the F-15E is still widely considered the preeminent air superiority fighter.

F-15Es first saw combat during operations Desert Shield in 1990 and Desert Storm in 1991 with more than 40 aircraft engaged during the 42 days of continuous combat. The Strike Eagles were primarily used to conduct night missions to destroy high value enemy targets including missile launchers.

Since its initial deployment, the F-15E has been engaged in all major US combat operations.

The F-15 family of aircraft is also employed by US allies and strategic partners around the world.

In December 2020, the United States fulfilled a 2010 agreement with Saudi Arabia, delivering the last of 84 agreed-upon F-15SAs, a variant of the F-15E specifically designed for Saudi Arabia.

Variants of the F-15E are specially manufactured for several international customers, including the F-15K Slam Eagle for South Korea and the F-15I Ra'am for the Israeli Defense Force.

A multirole fighter

The F-15E is an upgrade of the original F-15 Aircraft, a twin engine air-to-air fighter.

It is designed to conduct bombing missions without a fighter escort through the aircraft's dual air-to-air and air-to-ground capabilities.

Featuring a tandem-seat cockpit, the F-15E has a wingspan of 42.8 feet (13 meters).

In comparison with the original F-15, the F-15E Strike Eagle is typically equipped with conformal fuel tanks, a type of additional, permanent fuel tank attached to the outside of the fuselage that each provides an additional 750 gallons (2,839 liters) of fuel.

The positioning of the conformal fuel tanks reduces drag while also extending the aircraft's flight range.

Unlike conventional drop fuel tanks, conformal fuel tanks do not occupy hard points, freeing up space for the aircraft to carry a full payload.

Nor do the conformal fuel tanks significantly increase the aircraft's radar cross-section, making it harder for enemy radar to detect the aircraft.

The F-15EX

The latest variant of the Strike Eagle is the F-15EX Eagle II, which was delivered to the US Air Force in March 2021.

With a maximum speed of Mach 2.5, a combat range of 687 nautical miles (1,272km) and a service ceiling of 60,000 feet (18,000 meters), the F-15EX can quickly and efficiently conduct high-speed interdiction.

The F-15EX boasts an increased payload in addition to improved range and speed with the ability to haul almost 30,000 pounds (13,600kg) in advanced weapon stations.

The aircraft has 12 air-to-air hard points or 15 air-to-ground hard points, spread out among four wing pylons, fuselage pylons and bomb racks affixed to the conformal fuel tanks.

These enable the F-15EX to carry up to 12 air-to-air missiles including the AIM-9X Sidewinder short-range missile and the AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM).

The aircraft can also carry bombs such as the 500-pound (227kg) laser-guided GBU-12 Paveway II or the LANTIRN combined navigation and targeting pod system.

For visual range combat, the F-15EX is armed with an M61 Vulcan six-barreled Gatling cannon that has 500 rounds of ammunition.

Capable of carrying a large assortment of ordnance on long-range strike missions, the F-15EX is set to become the new "workhorse" of the US Air Force.