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McDonnell Douglas F-15B “Dual-Role Fighter” (DRF) Prototype
Brief History:
This topic is meant to suggest that the Strike Eagle prototype F-15B serial number 71-0291 be added to War Thunder in the USA air tree. This aircraft was submitted into the early 1980’s “Dual-Role Fighter” (originally called the Enhanced Tactical Fighter) program against the F-16XL in a bid to replace the F-111 Aardvark in the ground strike role while also maintaining its air-to-air capabilities. The F-15 would go on to win this competition and become the F-15E Strike Eagle.
‘291 Prototype’ differences compared to production F-15E include:
- No countermeasures.
- No internal cannon.
- F100-PW-100 engines instead of more powerful F100-PW-220/229.
- Used only AIM-7 and AIM-9 missiles, no AIM-120.
- Access only to early PGMs compatible with Pave Tack pod.
- AN/APG-63 with synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and ground-mapping modifications.
F-15B-2, AF Ser. No. 71-0291
First flew on 18 October 1973 as a TF-15A and used as a test and demonstration aircraft. In 1976 it made an overseas sales tour painted in markings to celebrate the bicentenary of the United States. Also used as the development aircraft for the F-15E as well as the first F-15 to use Conformal Fuel Tanks. On July 8, 1980, the prototype McDonnell Douglas F-15 Strike Eagle, a fighter-bomber variant converted from the second two-seat F-15B Eagle trainer, F-15B-4-MC 71-0291, made its first flight. The 71-291 airframe had other uses as flight/technology demonstrators for the Air Force and NASA.
Specifications:
Spoiler
Length: 19.43m (63.75ft)
Height: 5.63m (18.47ft)
Wingspan: 13.05m (42.81ft)
Wing area: 56.49m² (608.0ft²)
Powerplant: (2) Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-100 afterburning turbofan engines
Weight:
Empty weight: 14,379 kg (31,700 lb)
Max T-O weight: 36,741 kg (81,000 lb)
Service ceiling: 18,288 m (60,000ft)
Max Speed: Mach 2.54
Internal fuel capacity: 6,658 liters (1,759 US gal, ~11,400 lbs @ 6.5 lb/gal)
FAST pack conformal fuel tanks: additional 9,750 lbs fuel
600-gallon external fuel tanks (3 total)
Avionics:
AN/APG-63 (SAR Modified) or AN/APG-70 radar
AN/ALR-56 RWR
Countermeasures:
One chaff bundle loaded into speedbrake
or
2-8x AN/ALE-40/45
Countermeasures on the early F-15 Eagles has been a particular point of interest for me. From my research I have concluded that F-15A/B did not use flare or chaff dispensers until 1985 with the F-15C MSIP upgrades that were retrofitted on some F-15A/B models. Provisions are available on the early Eagles but were nevertheless unused in operational service for whatever reason.
The HOTAS throttle has a flare/chaff dispensing switch, and wiring is present for up to eight dispensers on the underside of the fuselage in front of the rear landing gear.
Alternatively, there are reports that Eagle crew chiefs would routinely load a single-use bundle of chaff into the dorsal speedbrake that was only dispensed by deploying the brake.
Whether or not this aircraft should get countermeasures is up to Gaijin for interpretation.
Weapons Loadout:
Spoiler
Cannon: None internally
GPU-5/A 30mm (GEPOD 30) gun pods mounted externally
A-A Missiles:
AIM-9E/-9J/-9L Sidewinder
AIM-7F Sparrow
A-G Ordnance:
Mark 82/83/84 (LDGP, Snakeye)
GBU-8/-10/-12/-15/-22/-24 guided bombs
CBU-52/-58/-71 cluster bombs
BLU-27B incendiary bombs
BDU-38 nuclear bomb
AGM-65A/B/D Maverick
AGM-84 Harpoon
Pods:
AN/AVQ-26 Pave Tack targeting pod
OR
LANTIRN targeting pod (early development version)
AN/ALQ-119(V) ECM pod
1-3x GPU-5/A 30mm (GEPOD 30) gun pods
The cannon on the 291 model was removed for this prototype flight demonstration and was later re-added. It was extensively tested with external gunpods. Similar to the countermeasures, the decision to include an internal gun or leave it to use external pods exclusively is up to Gaijin’s balancing interpretation.
Photos/Liveries:
Sources:
- Aviation Week & Space Technology 1982-04-26: Vol 116 Iss 17
- International Defense Review 1980: Vol 13 Iss 8
- Armed Forces Journal International 1981-01: Vol 118 Iss 5
- F/TF-15A Preliminary FM - TO 1F-15A-1 (March 1975)
- F-15A/B/C/D USAF Series Aircraft Flight Manual - TO 1F-15A-1 (March 1986)
- Avionics Interface Data Summaries ADA077388 (October 1979)
- Countermeasures Against Offensive Air Support Threats ADC015014 (December 1977)
- McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle Aerofax - Dennis Jenkins
- F-15 Eagle at War - Tyson Rininger
- World Air Power Journal Volume 21
- Dual Role Fighter Crew System Assessment - ADB106798 (July 1986)
- F-15E Dual Role Fighter Operational Test and Evaluation Plan - ADB124810 (July 1988)
- Dual Role Fighter
- https://www.flightsimbooks.com/f15strikeeagle/02_02_The_DRF_(Dual-Role_Fighter)_Program.php
- 8 July 1980 | This Day in Aviation
- https://www.aerialvisuals.ca/AirframeDossier.php?Serial=165724
- Air-Minded: Speedbrake Chaff