McDonnell Douglas F-15C Eagle
Item #60304

Product Description

About the McDonnell Douglas F-15C Eagle
At one time during the missile boom years, the U.S. Air Force
believed future air battles could be decided by air-to-air
missiles rather than guns in the traditional dog-fighting manner.
The need for air superiority weapons was relearned during the
Vietnam Conflict and led to an Air Force requirement for an
all-weather, single-seat, twin-engined fighter. This aircraft was
to optimize counter-air operations.
The U.S. Air Force requested several manufacturers to study and
develop prototypes during the late 1960's under the FX program
(Fighter Experimental). McDonnell Douglas was awarded a contract
to develop the F-15 Eagle jet fighter in December 1969. The
Eagle's advanced aerodynamic design greatly reduced drag at both
the low and high lift configurations, and achieved superior
maneuverability during varying flight conditions.

Making its maiden flight in July 1972, it was deployed in
November 1974 as the F-15A Eagle, and had been in active service
since then. It is powered by two Pratt & Whitney F100
afterburning turbofan engines developed exclusively for the for
the F-15, and is capable of speeds in the Mach 2.5 range. The
F-15 can carry a heavy load of devastating weapons, including the
internally mounted 20mm M61A-1 Vulcan cannon, with 940 rounds of
ammo, the AIM-7 Sparrow radar guided missile and AIM9 Sidewinder
short range air-to-air missile. In 1979 an upgraded version of
the Eagle was introduced as the F-15C. One notable change was the
increase in fuel capacity, but even more fuel was made possible
by the conformal fuel tanks, which snuggle between the wings and
up against the jet inlet ramps. This increase in fuel capacity
enables the Eagle to expand long range operations, such as
escorting AWACS and strike aircraft to their targets. The Landing
gear has been reinforced to accept the extra fuel weight,
allowing a maximum take-off weight of 68,000 lbs (30844 kg). The
F100 Pratt & Whitney engines were also upgraded for easier
maintenance and increased performance. The F-15C's maximum rate
of climb at sea level is more than 50,000ft (15,240m) per minute.


As the Premier jet fighter the Eagle continuously receives
improvements to keep pace with the changing state of the art. The
multi-stage improvement program (MSIP) is organized to enhance
the avionics, like the internal ECM system and computer capacity.
The APG-63, provides excellent long range navigation and
tracking for the Eagles' fighter interdiction role. Owning to its
versatility, adaptability and ruggedness, the F-15 Eagle will
certainly continue to play its role of an air superiority fighter
well into the 21st century.

Suggested Paint Colors

TS-26 - Pure White
TS-30 - Silver Leaf
X-1 - Black
X-10 - Gun Metal
X-11 - Chrome Silver
X-12 - Gold Leaf
X-13 - Metallic Blue
X-14 - Sky Blue
X-16 - Purple
X-18 - Semi Gloss Black
X-2 - White
X-23 - Clear Blue
X-25 - Clear Green
X-26 - Clear Orange
X-27 - Clear Red
X-28 - Park Green
X-6 - Orange
X-7 - Red
XF-1 - Flat Black
XF-15 - Flat Flesh
XF-16 - Flat Aluminum
XF-19 - Sky Grey
XF-2 - Flat White
XF-24 - Dark Grey
XF-3 - Flat Yellow
XF-49 - Khaki
XF-51 - Khaki Drab
XF-54 - Dark Sea Grey
XF-56 - Metallic Grey
XF-57 - Buff
XF-60 - Dark Yellow
XF-61 - Dark Green
XF-62 - Olive Drab