McDonnell Douglas F-15A "Eagle" - Lackland AFB - San Antonio, Texas
Posted by: 
BruceS
N 29° 23.492 W 098° 37.283
14R E 536737 N 3251424
Fighter aircraft on display adjacent to the main parade field at Lackland Air Force Base.
Waymark Code: WM3CDH
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 03/14/2008
Views: 32
McDonnell Douglas F-15A, "Eagle"
Serial No. 71-0280
The USAF selected the McDonnell Douglas F-15 in December 1969 to meet its
requirement for a new all-weather tactical aircraft. It was designed to
gain and maintain air superiority in aerial combat and to outform and outfight
an current or projected enemy aircraft. It was the first USAF fighter
designed with an advanced guidance system that displayed steering/weapon system
information on a computer screen for the pilot. First U.S. operational
aircraft whose engines thrust power exceeds the aircrafts loaded weight,
permitting it to accelerate while in a vertical climb. The first flight of
the F-15A was on July 27, 1972. During Operation Desert Shield/Desert
Storm in 1991 and in Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003, the F-15 provided a
defensive umbrella that permitted the deployment of air, land and sea assets in
Iraq and accounted for the majority of the air-to-air kills against Iraqi
aircraft. This aircraft was flown by Capt Cesar A. Rodriquez in combat
during Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm in Jan 1991. He was credited
with two air-to-air kills of a MIG-29 and MIG-23. Both credis are
represented as blue stars painted below the left side of the cockpit. The
official aircraft emblem of "Let's Roll", relating to the 9/11 attack on America
in 2001, was applied in 2002 as a tribute to hose who died during the attack.
The aircraft on display is actually an F-15A, serial no. 71-0280, but painted
and marked to depict an F-15C, serial no. 85-114, assigned to the 58th Tactical
Fighter Squadron, in Eglin AFB, Florida,, during 1991.
| Crew: One Pilot |
Cruising Speed: 630 mph, 538 knots |
| Wing Span: 42' 9.75" |
Max Level Speed: Mach 2.5+ (1800 mph) |
| Length: 63' 9" |
Service Ceiling: 60,000 |
| Height: 18' 5.5" |
Powerplant: 2 Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-100 Turbofan Engines |
| Empty Weight: 28,600 lbs |
Engine Thrust: 28,000 lbs Each Engine |