Probably because the F-15A in a full downtier is very strong, but the F-15C is usually always fighting aircraft roughly equal to it
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Would you possibly know if the F-15A has TWS and uses the AIM-120 in real life?
TWS, I have no idea, might have a placeholder radar.
Aim-120, even if it did, it would not get them. Loadouts are always a balancing decision and if it did get them. It would be at 13.7 alongside the F-15C. But I dont think they did equip them. F-15 was in service for around 10-15 years before AMRAAM entered service and that is the F-15A we have in game I beleive
True true
Did you know the USAF actually tested the AIM-120 with the F-14 Tomcat
US aircraft aren’t my area of expertise but going by:
Some F-14As were modified to test AMRAAM and the F-14D was planned to have them, but never did.
F15A irl doesn’t have CM’s IRL, additionally it did not have TWS, or AIM 120, MSSIP II is where the aim 120 and a ton of additional service equipment was mounted
Better, of course not, the C is a direct upgrade
More OP, yes, the F-15A sits at only 13.0 and regularly fights Phantoms and other 3rd gen aircraft
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in initial service in the late-1970’s the F-15A didn’t have CM’s, but it did actually receive them and use them as all-aspect IR missiles became the global standard in the early-1980’s, prior to its replacement by the F-15C. In those early days the F-15A also only used AIM-9J’s, as AIM-9L was only introduced in 1977
Yes, the F15A did carry the Aim-120Ds and Aim-9Xs.
The F-15A did not carry Aim-120Ds.
Last F-15A was retired from USAF in October 2009.
Aim-120D was not fielded until 2014/2015 according to publicly available sources.
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Really…?
The F15A was retired from the US Airforce in 2009. It is still in use by others, and the test platforms were not all retired.
The Aim-120D has been around since before 2006, because production began in 2006: https://www.dote.osd.mil/Portals/97/pub/reports/FY2012/af/2012amraam.pdf?ver=2019-08-22-111754-080
Edit to add: We usually receive T&E/Engineering prototypes up to 18 months before official production begins where I work. Often times with or very close to having an already assigned NSN number at that point. So you can bet the Aim-120D was around in 2005.
Did you even read the document?
F-15A has never carried AIM-120D. F-15A was retired from service 5 years before even the operational testing was completed.
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How do you think we test operational missiles? Even the documentation from the military doesn’t distinguish anything outside of F15 (all models) and then the F15E https://www.airandspaceforces.com/PDF/MagazineArchive/Magazine%20Documents%2F2007%2FMay%202007%2F0507weapons2.pdf This is from 2007 by the way, start on page 154.
Also, you do understand that the Airforce retiring the aircraft doesn’t mean the entire world did right? I guess we are just going to ignore Israel? Who still has F-15 A, C, and L in service? I guess we can also ignore that Israel has purchase order in for the Aim-120C-8 as well? So has Norway and a couple others (but that is off topic).
The worlds oldest F15 still in service is an A model in the USA tail number N836NA by the way.
Just because the Airforce does something, doesn’t make it true for everyone.
It seems that you are chomping at the bit to tell us how it’s actually done.
This document doesn’t say anything that the first one didn’t. It’s even more vague and just says production started in 2006…which is exactly what the other document said.
Okay. Has the Aim-120D been exported to anyone that still operates F-15As? All open source information I can find says that the Aim-120D is used exclusively by the United States.
Your claim is that the F-15A carried the Aim-120D. The Aim-120C is not the same missile.
- F-15A was retired from USANG in 2009.
- Aim-120D was still in testing until 2014.
These are two simple facts.
If you want to argue that the F-15A was used as the testing platform…that’s fine…but you should produce documentation of that then.
If you want to argue that it could have carried it because the missile is backwards compatible…then we can also make the same argument for every aircraft that carries Aim-9s.
Either way…no operational F-15A carried Aim-120D and I very much doubt they carried Aim-9X either.
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It’s because the F-15C’s engines underperform at altitude and down low
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The US Airforce F15A had not been retired yet when the article was written in 2007. So it still applies.
Its the same. Under the F3R program the Aim-120C-3 missiles were upgraded to the Aim-120C-8. Which converts them to an Aim-120D. The C-8 designation simply tells you if its a Aim-120C-3 upgraded to basically be a D model.
Aim-120D went into production in 2006, as stated by the US Air Force. I have given you two government sources on this.
Side note, we are now on the Aim-120D-3 which was first tested on an F15C. Since the F15C in game is an MSIP vehicle, and is a part of the SIP program the right thing to do in game would be to give the F15C its Aim-120D-3 missiles. Which we likely won’t see until the EX, but the F15C is the test bed for the new Aim-120D-3 evolution. Which the Aim-120C-8 get the same electronics upgrade as the Aim-120D-3. And yes, they have been exported to countries with an F-15A (Israel).
“Aim-120D Production Began in 2006”
They built a few missiles for testing in 2006. They suspended testing in 2009 because the missile wasn’t working correctly. They claim to have fixed it by 2011…after the F-15A was retired. Operational testing wasn’t even forecasted to be completed until 2014. It’s literally in the document that you posted and you are ignoring it.
What you are asking for is to receive a 2015 missile for a late 1980s airframe that is already criminally under tiered because you have a skill issue. It’s the same reason you keep suggesting massive nerfs to USSR tech tree stuff as well.
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When did I ask for it? This is what happens when you fail to read the posts and want to start an argument for the sake of arguing. You start imagining things people didn’t say.
The question was if the F15A use the Aim-120s in real life. The answer is YES.
You also keep spreading this false notion as if it applies to everything^
The F15A was retired by the Air Force. Not retired completely. They are STILL IN ACTIVE SERVICE. Including in the US. I literally gave you the tail number for one that is still flying in California at Edwards.
So for clarity, no. You are absolutely wrong. The F15As are not “retired” in the sense you are trying to portray.
At this point you are simply refusing to read the facts, and correct your mistakes and playing some kind of strange mental gymnastics. Maybe if we break this down barney style for you it will help.
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Production Began in 2006. (As I have proven).
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F15As are still in service. (The US Airforce isn’t the only F15A operator in the World).
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Countries with F15s still in service have ordered the Aim-120C-8 & Aim-120D models. (Israel, Japan, Norway, UK etc.)
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The Aim-120C-8 is an older missile put through the F3R program to turn it into an Aim-120D-3 (at this point). So for all purposes consider them the same.
Now the question was:
And the answer is… Yes! The F15As do use the Aim-120Ds in real life.