McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle

what is it?

The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is an American twin-engine, all-weather fighter aircraft designed by McDonnell Douglas (now part of Boeing). Following reviews of proposals, the United States Air Force (USAF) selected McDonnell Douglas's design in 1969 to meet the service's need for a dedicated air superiority fighter. The Eagle took its maiden flight in July 1972, and entered service in 1976.

🔎How to recognise it: 2 jet engines · shoulder wing · retractable tricycle gear · 13.1 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 919 km/hcruise speed
• range 3,971 kmwithout refuelling
• size 30.8 tmax take-off weight
• built 1,198made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🎂First flew 54 years ago, in 1972.
• 🚗Wingspan of 13.1 m: about 3 cars parked nose to tail.
• 🐘Fully loaded it can weigh as much as 5 African elephants (~6 t each).
• 🌍Range of 3,971 km: 22× Amsterdam to Brussels.
• 🏔️Can fly 2.2× higher than Mount Everest (8,849 m).

jet: Gas turbine pushing air out the back (turbofan or turbojet): fast and high-flying.

spec sheet

first flight

1972-07-27

introduced

1976

status

still flying

number built

1,198

role

air superiority fighter

origin

🇺🇸 United States

makers

Boeing, McDonnell Douglas

engines

2× Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-220 / Pratt & Whitney F100

crew

1

length

19.4 m

wingspan

13.1 m

height

5.6 m

max take-off weight

30.8 t

top speed

—

cruise speed

919 km/h

range

3,971 km

ceiling

19,812 m

wings

shoulder wing

landing gear

retractable tricycle gear

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.

family