Article 11913 of rec.aviation.military:
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From: jfb@usgp1.ih.att.com (Joe Baugher)
Subject: New Fighter Series--McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle (6 of 26)
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Summary: F-15A
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Date: Tue, 31 Jan 1995 02:15:00 GMT
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The F-15A was the first production version of the Eagle.  There was 
no XF-15, since the aircraft had been ordered "off the drawing board".  
A total of 384 single-seat F-15A were built, including 18 Full-Scale 
Development (FSD) aircraft.  

The initial F-15 contract called for 20 FSD aircraft--a preliminary 
batch of 10 single-seat F-15A (71-0280/0289) and two TF-15A two-seat 
(71-0290 and 71-0291) Category I versions, plus eight Category II FSD 
aircraft, all of them in F-15A single-seat form (72-0113/0120).  
Category I flight tests are carried out with the manufacturer's test 
pilots.  Category II testing involves flight testing by a USAF joint 
test force consisting of pilots from Air Systems Command and the 
Tactical Air Command.  Category III testing is the follow-on 
operational test and evaluation program carried out by units in
the field.

One of the more unusual aspects of the Eagle development program was 
the use of large 3/8-scale glider models of the F-15 which were 
dropped from an NASA-operated NB-52B (52-0008) at the NASA Dryden 
Flight Research Center.  The models were made of aluminum, wood, and 
fiberglas.  They weighed 2425 pounds each and were 23 feet long.  
During the drops, the models were under radio control from the ground, 
and were directed through high angle of attack, stalling, and spinning 
maneuvers.  At the end of the flights, the models deployed a parachute 
and were recovered in midair by a helicopter.  

The first F-15A (sometimes called YF-15A, with the Y-prefix indicating 
service-test duties), serial number 71-0280, was rolled out in a 
ceremony at St Louis on June 26, 1972.  It was dismantled, loaded 
aboard a C-5A, and transported out to Edwards AFB in California.  It 
made its first flight there on July 27, 1972, company test pilot 
Irving Burrows being at the controls.  

The first 10 single-seat Eagles were allocated to Category I of the 
test program.  Each of the planes was allocated to a specific task in 
the flight test program, as follows:  

Serial	   First Flight	  	Function

71-0280	   July 27, 1972	Open the flight envelope, explore
				handling qualities, check out external
				stores carriage.

72-0281	   September 28, 1972	Tests of F100 engine

72-0282	   November 4, 1972	Avionics development, calibrated air
				speed tests.  First to be equipped
				with APG-63 radar.  

72-0283    January 12, 1973     Flying structural test airframe

72-0284    March 7, 1973        First F-15 to be equipped with the
				M61A1 cannon.  Internal gun, external 
				fuel jettison and armament tests.

72-0285    May 23, 1973         Second avionics test aircraft.
				Avionics tests, flight control
 				evaluation, missile fire control.

72-0286	   June 14, 1973	Armament and external fuel stores tests

72-0287	   August 25, 1973	Spin recovery, high angle of attack,
				and fuel system tests.

72-0288	   October 20, 1973     Integrated aircraft/engine performance
				tests.

71-0289    January 16, 1974     Tactical electronic warfare system,
				radar and avionics evaluation.	  


Some of the 12 Category I test aircraft were later delivered to the 
Air Force.  

By October 29, 1973, 11 of the 12 Category I Eagles had flown, and a 
maximum speed of Mach 2.3 and an altitude of 60,000 feet had been 
reached.  Remarkably, very few problems were encountered during flight 
testing.  However, early in the test program, problems were 
encountered with buffeting and wing loading problems at certain 
altitudes.  The solution to the problem was found to be the removal of 
four square feet in wing area diagonally from the wing tip, giving the 
Eagle its characteristic raked wingtips.  A flutter problem discovered 
during wind tunnel testing required that a dogtooth be cut into the 
leading edge of the horizontal tail.  The dorsal airbrake was found to 
cause excessive buffeting when it was in the fully-open position, and 
it was found necessary to increase its area from 20 to 31 square feet 
so that the required drag could be achieved with lower extension 
angles.  

Production of an initial batch of 30 F-15A/B fighters was announced on 
March 1973.  The first Eagle to be delivered to an operational USAF 
unit was TF-15A 73-0108, formally accepted by the 555th Tactical 
Fighter Training Squadron of the 58th Tactical Training Wing at Luke 
AFB, Arizona on November 4, 1974 in a ceremony presided over by 
President Gerald Ford.  This wing served as the Replacement Training 
Unit (RTU) for F-15 operations during the initial phases of the 
introduction of the Eagle into service.  

During the winter of 1974-75, McDonnell modified F-15A serial number 
72-0119 in an attempt to set world time-to-climb records.  The project 
was given the name Operation *Streak Eagle*.  In an effort to save 
weight, all non-mission critical systems were deleted, including the 
flap and the speed brake, the armament, the radar, and the fire 
control system.  The paint was even stripped off, leaving a bare metal 
aircraft.  It weighed 1800 pounds less than the stock F-15A.  The 
record attempts were carried out during the winter at Grand Forks AFB 
in North Dakota to take advantage of the cold temperatures.  During 
the record attempts, only enough fuel was carried to make the specific 
flight and return to base.  The aircraft broke eight existing 
time-to-climb records previously held by the F-4B and the MiG-25:  

Altitude	Time		Date	   		Pilot

3000 meters	27.57 sec	January 16, 1975	Maj. R. Smith
6000 meters 	39.33 sec	January 16, 1975	Maj W. R. Macfarlane
9000 meters	48.86 sec	January 16, 1975	Maj W. R. Macfarlane
12,000 meters	59.38 sec	January 16, 1975 	Maj W. R. Macfarlane
15,000 meters	77.02 sec	January 16, 1975	Maj D. W. Peterson
20,000 meters	122.94 sec	January 19, 1975	Maj R. Smith
25,000 meters	161.02 sec	January 26, 1975	Maj D. W. Peterson
30,000 meters	207.80 sec	February 1, 1975	Maj R. Smith

The *Streak Eagle* is now on outdoor display at the USAF Museum at 
Wright Patterson AFB at Dayton, Ohio.  Most of these records were 
later broken by the Soviet "P-42", which was a prototype for the 
Sukhoi Su-27 interceptor.  

Production of an initial batch of 30 F-15A/B fighters was announced on 
March 1973.  The first Eagle to be delivered to an operational USAF 
unit was TF-15A 73-0108, formally accepted by the 555th Tactical 
Fighter Training Squadron of the 58th Tactical Training Wing at Luke 
AFB, Arizona, on November 4, 1974 in a ceremony presided over by 
President Gerald Ford.  This wing served as the Replacement Training 
Unit (RTU) for F-15 operations during the initial phases of the 
introduction of the Eagle into service.  

Deliveries to the first combat-ready wing, the 1st TFW at Langley AFB 
in Virginia, began in January 1976.  The F-15s replaced the F-4Es that 
had previously been flown by this wing.  In 1977, F-15As and Bs were 
issued to the 36th Tactical Fighter Wing based at Bitburg, Germany, 
marking the first overseas deployment of the Eagle.  That same year, 
the 49th TFW at Holloman AFB in New Mexico, began to receive the 
Eagle.  The 57th Fighter Weapons Wing at Nellis AFB, Nevada received 
its first F-15A/B Eagles in 1977.  These were issued to the 433rd 
Fighter Weapons Wing and were used to train pilots destined for new 
Eagle squadrons.  

In 1978, Eagles went to the 32nd Tactical Fighter Squadron based at 
Soesterberg in the Netherlands.  The 32nd TFS was under Dutch Air 
Force control as part of its NATO mission.  That same year, the 33rd 
TFW at Eglin AFB in Florida received F-15A/B Eagles.  

The introduction of the F-15 into USAF service was not without its 
problems.  The pilots at Luke AFB with the Tactical Training Wing 
found that they could not mount the planned number of sorties.  There 
were difficulties with parts and maintenance, but the most serious 
problem was with the engines.  The Air Force had underestimated the 
number of powercycles per sortie and had not realized how much the 
Eagle's maneuvering capabilities would result in frequent abrupt 
changes in throttle setting.  This caused unexpectedly high wear on 
key engine components, resulting in frequent failures of key engine 
components such as first-stage turbine blades.  These problems could 
be corrected by more careful maintenance and closer attention to 
quality control during manufacturing of engine components.  However, 
the most serious problem was stagnation stalling.  

There were frequent groundings and delays in engine deliveries while 
an attempt was made to fix these problem.  Strikes at two major 
subcontractors delayed the delivery of engines.  By the end of 1979, 
the USAF was forced to accept engineless F-15 airframes and place them 
in storage until sufficient numbers of engines could be delivered.  A 
massive effort by Pratt & Whitney helped to alleviate this problem, 
but the F-15 suffered from an engine shortage for a long time.  

Early problems with the reliability of F100 engines were largely 
overcome by modifications plus improvements in materials, maintenance 
and operating procedures.  The installation of a quartz window in the 
side of the afterburner assembly to enable a flame sensor to monitor 
the pilot flame of the augmentor helped to cure the problem with 
"hard" afterburner starts.  Modifications to the fuel control system 
helped to lower the frequency of stagnation stalls.  In 1976 the F-15 
fleet had suffered 11-12 stagnation stalls per 1000 flying hours.  By 
the end of 1981, this rate was down to 1.5.  However, the F100 even 
today still has a reputation of being a temperamental engine under 
certain conditions.  

In the mid-1980s, the 21st Composite Wing (later Tactical Fighter 
Wing) received F-15A/B Eagles.  There was an embarrassing incident on 
March 19, 1990, when a pilot of one of the Wing's F-15s accidentally 
fired a live Sidewinder round which struck and damaged another F-15.  
This incident caused the commander of the Wing to be relieved, 
although the damaged aircraft was able to land safely, emphasizing the 
high degree of structural strength and survivability that had been 
built into the F-15 design.  

The last of the 360 F-15As and Bs that were built were delivered to 
fighter interceptor squadrons that had been assigned by the Tactical 
Air Command to the aerial defense of the United States.  This 
organization was a descendant of the now-defunct Air Defense Command 
(known in its last years as the Aerospace Defense Command), which had 
turned over its resources to TAC in October of 1979.  TAC reorganized 
these assets into the Air Defense Tactical Air Command (ADTAC), 
headquartered at Colorado Springs.  The headquarters were later moved 
to Langley AFB.  A further organization change in 1985 resulted in 
ADTAC becoming the First Air Force.  Four TAC squadrons (5th, 48th, 
57th, and 318th Fighter Interceptor Squadrons) took the F-15A/B on 
charge in the interceptor role, replacing the Convair F-106 Delta 
Dart.  Some of the Eagles operated by these squadrons were wired to 
carry the Vought antisatellite weapon, although the ASAT program had 
been officially dropped at Congressional insistence in the early 
1980s.  The role of the Eagle in the air defense of the United States 
was a brief one, with the bulk of the air defense role now being 
carried out by the F-16A Fighting Falcon.  The First Air Force's Eagle 
interceptor squadrons were deactivated during the early 1990s, and 
their planes were passed along to the Air National Guard.  

Serials of F-15A Eagle:

71-0280/0281		McDonnell Douglas F-15A-1-MC Eagle
				0281 bailed to NASA in 1975.  Returned
				to USAF in 1983, now on display at Langley AFB
71-0282/0284		McDonnell Douglas F-15A-2-MC Eagle
				0284 to GF-15A
71-0285/0286		McDonnell Douglas F-15A-3-MC Eagle
				0286 to GF-15A
71-0287/0289		McDonnell Douglas F-15A-4-MC Eagle
				0287 bailed to NASA in 1976 as 835
72-0113/0116		McDonnell F-15A-5-MC Eagle
 				0116 delivered to Israel, Peace Fox I
72-0117/0120		McDonnell F-15A-6-MC Eagle
				0117,0118 delivered to Israel, Peace Fox I
				0119 set 8 world time-to-height records as
				part of Operation Streak Eagle - This plane is 
				on display at WPAFB Museum.
				0210 delivered to Israel, Peace Fox I
73-0085/0089		McDonnell Douglas F-15A-7-MC Eagle
73-0090/0097		McDonnell Douglas F-15A-8-MC Eagle
73-0098/0107		McDonnell Douglas F-15A-9-MC Eagle
74-0081/0093		McDonnell Douglas F-15A-10-MC Eagle
74-0094/0111		McDonnell Douglas F-15A-11-MC Eagle
74-0112/0136		McDonnell Douglas F-15A-12-MC Eagle
74-0143/0157		cancelled contract for McDonnell Douglas F-15A/B Eagle
75-0018/0048		McDonnell Douglas F-15A-13-MC Eagle
75-0049/0079		McDonnell Douglas F-15A-14-MC Eagle
75-0090/0124		cancelled contract for McDonnell Douglas F-15A/B Eagle
76-0008/0046		McDonnell Douglas F-15A-15-MC Eagle
76-0047/0083		McDonnell Douglas F-15A-16-MC Eagle
76-0084/0113		McDonnell Douglas F-15A-17-MC Eagle
				0086 used for trials with Vought ASM-135A
				ASAT.
76-0114/0120		McDonnell Douglas F-15A-18-MC Eagle
				0120 delivered to Israel
76-0121/0123		cancelled contract for McDonnell Douglas F-15A Eagle
76-1505/1514		McDonnell Douglas F-15A-17-MC Eagle 
				For Israel, Peace Fox II
76-1515/1523		McDonnell Douglas F-15A-18-MC Eagle 
				For Israel, Peace Fox II
77-0061/0084 		McDonnell Douglas F-15A-18-MC Eagle
				0084 used as test bed for APG-63 radar
77-0085/0119 		McDonnell Douglas F-15A-19-MC Eagle
77-0120/0153 		McDonnell Douglas F-15A-20-MC Eagle

Specification of McDonnell Douglas F-15A Eagle:  

Two Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-100 (JTF22A-25A) axial-flow turbofans, 
each rated at 12,420 pounds dry, 14,670 pounds at full military power, 
and 23,830 pounds with afterburning..  
Maximum speed:  1650 mph (Mach 2.5) at 36,000 feet, 915 mph at sea 
level.  Cruising speed 570 mph.  Initial climb rate 40,000 feet per 
minute.  Service ceiling 65,000 feet.  Maximum unrefuelled range 3450 
miles.  
Dimensions:  wingspan 42 feet 9 1/2 inches, length 63 feet 9 inches, 
height 18 feet 5 1/2 inches, wing area 608 square feet.  
Weights:  27,000 pounds empty, 40,000 pounds combat, 41,500 pounds 
gross, 66,000 pounds maximum takeoff.  
Fuel:  Maximum internal fuel 1790 US gallons.  Three 610-gallon drop 
tanks can be carried, one on the fuselage centerline and one on each 
of the underwing pylons, bringing total fuel capacity to 3620 US 
gallons.  
Armament:  One 20-mm General Electric M61A1 Vulcan cannon n the 
starboard wing root with 940 rounds.  Provision for four AIM-7F/M 
Sparrow or four AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles on hardpoints attached to the 
lower outer edges of the air intake trunks, two on each side.  Four 
AIM-9 Sidewinders infrared-homing missiles are carried on the 
underwing pylons, two on each side.  

Sources:

   McDonnell Douglas Aircraft Since 1920, Volume II, Rene J.
   Francillon, Naval Institute Press, 1990.

   Observers Aircraft, William Green and Gordon Swanborough, 
   Frederick Warne, 1992.

   Combat Aircraft F-15, Michael J. Gething and Paul Crickmore,
   Crescent Books, 1992.
   
   The American Fighter, Enzo Angelucci and Peter Bowers, 
   Orion, 1987.

   The World's Great Interceptor Aircraft, Gallery Books, 1989. 

   F-15 Eagle, Robert F. Dorr, World Airpower Journal, Volume 9,
   Summer 1992.


Joe Baugher			  **************************************
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