>>You are thinking of the F-15C/D<<
When you get old, the memory is the first to... um, what is that quote?
Has anyone done head-to-head on the F/A 18 vs F-15E? That would be interesting. The F-15 wins in the beauty department but rarely is that a criteria in milcraft evaluations ;)
I have to assume the Canadians were able to sell the idea of F/A 18s as a “temporary solution” better than F-15Es: maybe the large international presence of variants of the latter?
Combat Radius: F-15E-790 mi, F/A-18E-449 mi
Max Speed: F-15E- Mach 2.5+, F/A-18E-Mach 1.8
Max Payload: F-15E- Mach 23,000 lb , F/A-18E- 17,750 lb
Max Ferry Range: F-15E-2,400 mi , F/A-18E-2,070 mi
Carrier Operations: F-15E-NO, F/A-18E-YES
The F-15E costs around $100 million, the F/A-18E around $70 million, and the F-15E has higher operating costs and is exclusively a two person crew. The F/A-18E is a single seater, while the F/A-18F and EA-18G are two person cockpits.
Either one would serve Canada's mission better than the F-35, but IMHO the F-15E would be the best choice for their requirements of vast territory to cover, ground strike capability, and the ability to intercept Russian bombers.
Please tell us the criteria where an 18 ever beats a 15? Load? Thrust? Speed? Acceleration? Range?