F-15C Eagle

The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is a versatile and powerful aircraft created in the mid-1970s in response to the Mikoyan-Gureyvich MiG-25 Foxbat high-altitude interceptor. Its primary function is air superiority, but several versions exist, including long-range reconnaissance and surgical strike functions.

History
In 1967, news reaches ears in the White House and the US Air Force of a new Soviet interceptor aircraft said to be capable of speeds near Mach 3 and exceptional maneuverability. In the effort to stay ahead of the opposition, the Air Force issued a request for an aircraft to contest it (It was not known in the West at the time that the MiG-25 was designed as a high-speed interceptor, not an air superiority fighter so its primary asset was speed, not maneuverability.)



Conception
In the later years of the Vietnam War, the USAF was desperate to maintain technical superiority over the Soviet Union. The agile MiG-21 had become a major threat against the much larger F-4 Phantom II in the skies above Vietnam, and the swing-wing MiG-23 showed that the Soviet Union's tech was swiftly catching up to the West. When the MiG-25 streaked over the 1967 Aviation Day crowds in the Domodedovo Air Show, Western observers were stunned by the new fighter and the announcement that the craft was capable of Mach 3. The Air Force's fears were confirmed just 4 years later when a "Foxbat" in Egyptian colors broke Mach 3.2 after being engaged by Israeli F-4s. This, coupled with faulty intelligence that the MiG-25 was both an interceptor and an air-superiority dogfighter in the tradition of the MiG-21 and MiG-23, forced the American aviation industry to create a Foxbat killer.

McDonnell Douglas, the creator of the F-4, was given the contract by the United States Air Force to develop a high-speed, single-seat fighter that could outmatch the MiG-25's supposed maneuverability advantage. Using the data gathered from the TFX (F-111 Aardvark) and US Navy's VFX (F-14 Tomcat) programs, the fighter that would become the F-15 was born. Twin Pratt and Whitney F-100 engines gave the fighter improved reliability when compared to previous single-engine designs and the sheer power needed to break the Air Force's benchmarks of Mach 2.5 and a near 1:1 thrust/weight ratio. The large size of the aircraft also provides a low wing size/weight ratio, and allows for large weapon payload in addition to the powerful APG-63 "look down/shoot down" radar. By 1972 the newly christened F-15 Eagle, retroactively designated F-15A, took off for testing, and in 1976 the first deliveries of the craft were given to the USAF 555th Fighter Squadron stationed in Italy.

Game analysis
Air Combat=
 * AVAILABILITY
 * Complete "Intercept". Costs $2,400,000.


 * STATISTICS
 * Power: Maxmimum
 * Mobility: High
 * Offense: Maxmimum
 * Stability: Poor
 * Defense: Maxmimum


 * NAMED PILOTS
 * Joe (Scarface)

Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies= "With the perfect balance of power and maneuverability, this jet is the best air superiority fighter available."

- Hangar description


 * AVAILABILITY
 * Complete "Shattered Skies". Costs $272,000.


 * STATISTICS
 * Speed: Medium
 * Air-to-Air: High
 * Air-to-Ground: Low
 * Mobility: Medium-High
 * Stability: Medium
 * Defense: Medium-High


 * WEAPONS
 * GUN x800
 * MSSL x68
 * Unguided Bomb (Medium) x12
 * Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile x16


 * COLORS
 * Color 1: Gray body with blue wing and nose stripes. Based on the Japan Air Self-Defense Force Hiko Kyodotai aggressor squadron's F-15DJs.
 * Color 2: Air superiority gray.
 * Color 3: Light brown body. Costs $354,000.


 * NAMED PILOTS
 * Tuttle

Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War= "Nicknamed the "Eagle", this air superiority fighter boasts top-class maneuverability and superior payload capacity, as well as outstanding mission survivability."

- Hangar description


 * AVAILABILITY
 * Complete "Powder Keg". Costs $16,200.


 * STATISTICS
 * Speed: 83
 * Mobility: 54
 * Stability: 61
 * Defense: 60
 * Air-to-Air: 73
 * Air-to-Ground: 37


 * WEAPONS
 * GUN x800
 * MSSL x70
 * Semi-Active Air-to-Air Missile x10


 * COLORS
 * OS: Air superiority camouflage.
 * RZ: Black body with red vertical stabilizers.
 * YK: Gray body with brown camouflage.

Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War= "Nicknamed the "Eagle", this air superiority fighter boasts top-class maneuverability and superior payload capacity, as well as outstanding mission survivability."

- Hangar description


 * AVAILABILITY
 * Complete "Sword of Annihilation" as a Mercenary. Costs $87,500.


 * STATISTICS
 * Speed: High
 * Air-to-Air: High
 * Air-to-Ground: Low
 * Mobility: Medium
 * Stability: Medium
 * Defense: Medium


 * WEAPONS
 * Missile x70
 * Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile x16
 * Unguided Bomb (Large) x10
 * Quick Maneuver Air-to-Air Missile x14


 * COLORS
 * Standard: Gray fuselage with blue wings and vertical stabilizers.
 * Mercenary: Gray body with brown camouflage.
 * Soldier: Air superiority gray.
 * Knight: Gray body with green camouflage.
 * Special: Gray body with black tiger stripes on midsection and tail.
 * Pixy


 * NAMED PILOTS
 * Elch (Juggernaut")
 * Ibis (Diapason)
 * Mondlicht (Lying in Deceit)

Ace Combat: Assault Horizon= "TYPE: F (Fighter) An all-weather, large scale fighter. Boasting a phenomenal maximum speed even among fighters, it has an abundance of ordnance loaded on board. Named the "Eagle", it has such a high level of stability performance that it holds the record for recovering after losing a wing in battle."

- Hangar description


 * AVAILABILITY
 * A


 * STATISTICS
 * Speed: Maximum
 * Mobility: High
 * Stability: High
 * Fire Power: High
 * Defense High


 * WEAPONS
 * MG ---
 * MSL
 * 4-Target Air-to-Air Missile
 * Semi-Active Air-to-Air Missile


 * COLORS
 * Color 1: Air superiority gray with tail code "LN" (RAF Lakenheath).
 * Color 2: Blue camouflage with "WL" tail code. Modeled after Eagles of the USAF 65th Aggressor Squadron.
 * Color 3: White body with black stripes.
 * Color 4: Cipher paint scheme.
 * Color 5: Pixy paint scheme.
 * DLC: Death Rider
 * DLC: Patriot
 * DLC: White Dragon

Ace Combat Infinity= Description "An all-weather, large scale fighter. Boasting a phenomenal maximum speed even among fighters, it has an abundance of ordnance loaded on board. Named the "Eagle", it has such a high level of stability performance that it holds the record for recovering after losing a wing in battle."
 * NAMED PILOTS

- Hangar

Special Weapons
 * Semi-Active Air-to-Air Missile
 * 4 Target Air-to-Air Missile
 * High-Power Air-to-Air Missile

Colors
 * Default: Air superiority gray.
 * Event Skin #01: Two-tone blue camouflage. Modeled after F-15s of the US 57th Adversary Tactics Group.

Trivia

 * It is interesting that the F-15C can carry Mk.84 bombs in ACZ and AC4, since most F-15Cs cannot carry bombs or air to ground weapons in real life (unless jerry-rigged, Israeli F-15A/B/C/D Baz models are capable of dropping 2000 lb or 500 lb bombs in case of an emergency). However, the F-15E Strike Eagle, a two-seat ground attack version of the Eagle, can carry bombs and ground attack munitions. Even more ironic, the F-15C in AC04 can only carry 16 XMAAs, whilst the F-15E can carry 20. Despite of the fact that the F-15C is the air superiority variant, while the F-15E is the attacker variant of the F-15.
 * Originally the F-15C Eagle was supposed to use the EG tailcode for the 33rd Fighter Wing (based at Eglin Air Force Base) in Florida, but for unknown reasons, this was changed to LN for the 48th Fighter Wing (based at RAF Lakenheath) in the UK in the final game.
 * If you notice on the F-15C's Solo Wing Pixy paint scheme, the underpart of the right wing has no red paint, aside from the top part of the wing. The same goes for the F-15E -PIXY- DLC of AC6. This is most likely a texturing mistake.