Posted on 07/20/2010 6:32:50 PM PDT by ErnstStavroBlofeld
The Boeing Company successfully launched a missile from the F-15 Silent Eagle's newly designed Conformal Weapons Bay (CWB) on July 14. Demonstration aircraft departed from Point Mugu Naval Air Weapon Station, Calif., at 5:59 p.m Pacific time, launched an inert AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air to Air Missile (AMRAAM) from its left-side CWB, and returned to base at 6:52 p.m.
The test demonstrated the CWB's flightworthiness and ability to deploy an AMRAAM in flight with no adverse effect on the performance of the aircraft or the CWB itself.
"I've been flying F-15s for more than 20 years, but this flight was different from all others," said Boeing F-15 Chief Test Pilot Dan Draeger. "This first launch of an AMRAAM from the F-15's internal weapons bay opens a new era for the F-15 and for strike fighter capability in the dominance of the F-15 Eagle.
"The F-15, CWB and missile performed exactly as we predicted," Draeger continued. "The Silent Eagle continues the F-15's role as the most versatile strike fighter aircraft ever built."
F-15E1 made its first flight with a CWB from Lambert St. Louis International Airport on July 8. The CWB, which carried an AIM-120 Instrumented Test Vehicle (ITV), was successfully opened and closed during that 80-minute flight, validating Boeing's design approach.
"The F-15SE's internal carriage CWBs will significantly increase tactical options for international customers while retaining all the cost-certain, battle-proven capability of the Strike Eagle," said Roger Besancenez, F-15 Program vice president for Boeing.
(Excerpt) Read more at boeing.mediaroom.com ...
Ping
As I have been saying for years, why spend billions on developing an entirely new airframe and weapons platform when you can simply modify an existing one much cheaper. Stealth has to do with shape and materials more than anything and changing the shape is easy. Now add thrust vectoring exhaust, forward canards, exhaust heat shielding and you suddenly have a 40 year old airframe that is more deadly than ever.
There are refinements in propulsion, materials, weapons, etc. but the laws of aerodynamics don't change much.
I'm not a pilot but I recall someone telling me that with updated weapons, electronics, and engines, the F-15 and F-4 would be closely matched...
F-15 is much more manuverable.
Naa, the F-4 was never designed to be a dog fighter. It was designed to be a missile launch platform when missiles were seen as making dog fighting obsolete. It isn’t anywhere near as nimble as the F-15.
Maybe at an air show.
As I said, I'm not a pilot, but I'd be willing to bet the F-4 will turn hard enough to make the pilot pass out from G forces. What more do you need?
You need superior vision, target acquisition/tracking ability, and range, all of which the F-15 has. That's electronics and propulsion, though - not airplane. With the same cockpit and modern engines, The F-4 could do a comparable job.
“I’d be willing to bet the F-4 will turn hard enough to make the pilot pass out from G forces. What more do you need?”
You need maneuverability at all speeds. Not just so fast and hard that the pilot passes out.
Coool!
The F-4 certainly had enough wing area to do all that and I dont believe it bled off that much in the turns either.
I get what you are saying.
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