The Strike Eagle is an American strike fighter derived from the F-15 Eagle under a private venture by the McDonnell Douglas company, slated to arrive to War Thunder in the Firebirds major update!

F-15E Strike Eagle: A Strike Aircraft for the USA at Rank VIII

At a glance:

• Greatly expanded ordnance options.
• Excellent flight characteristics!
• Precision munition.
• Mach 2.0 capable.

Vehicle History [expand type=details] Immediately after the F-15 entered service, McDonnell Douglas began studying the possibility of converting the aircraft into an effective ground attacker on its own initiative, based on the assessment that the aircraft possessed good potential for this. Despite lacking initial interest from the Air Force, this soon changed with the announcement of the competition for the Enhanced Tactical Fighter, whose aim was to identify a replacement for dated aircraft serving in the interdiction role. Although the program had been briefly suspended due to financial reasons, it resumed in early 1982. While pitting the so-called Strike Eagle against modified and regular F-16 fighters, the Air Force eventually chose the F-15E as its preferred choice for the replacement of the F-111. As a result, an order for 392 aircraft was initially signed by the USAF, which was later cut down to 227. The first production aircraft entered service in April 1988. Shortly after entering service, the F-15E Strike Eagle took part in the Gulf War as well as in operations on the Balkans during the 1990s. In the early 2000s, the F-15E also took part in combat operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Syria. The F-15E remains in service with the USAF to this day as one of its main strike aircraft. [/expand]

Meet the F-15E Strike Eagle!

The F-15E Strike Eagle is on course to join the top rank of the American aviation tree as one of the highlights arriving to War Thunder with the Firebirds major update. Building on the superb performance characteristics of the base fighter variant, the F-15E features a true plethora of modifications and upgrades all with the aim of substantially bolstering the Eagles ground attack capabilities. Keen to find out how successful American engineers were in this undertaking? Then join us on answering this question as we take a closer look at this new bird of prey!

Although the F-15E greatly resembles its dedicated fighter counterpart, you wont miss the first indication of this birds designated role as a strike aircraft. Namely, the F-15E features a twin seater cockpit, accommodating the pilot as well as the weapons officer. Nevertheless, being modified into a dedicated strike aircraft doesnt mean that the F-15E suddenly turned into a cumbersome bomber capable of only lifting a sizable payload. In fact, thanks to its two familiar Pratt & Whitney F100 afterburning turbofan engines, the F-15E can achieve a top speed of well over Mach 2 at higher altitudes while its sleek airframe enables it to perform sharp maneuvers. In other words, with the right weapon selection, the F-15E is just as capable of a dogfighter as the dedicated fighter variants, especially thanks to its access to the more advanced AIM-120B missile. Interesting: Open sources mention a case of an Iraqi Mi-24 being destroyed by a GBU-10 Paveway II laser-guided bomb that was dropped by an American F-15E Strike Eagle!

However, where the F-15E really stands out from its close relatives is in its ground attack capabilities. Namely, the aircrafts payload capacity has been increased by around 50%. On top of this, the F-15E cant just carry more ordnance in general, but it also has access to a much wider assortment of suspended weapons options than the dedicated fighter variants. For instance, the Strike Eagle is able to mount AGM-65 Mavericks, new to the game GPS-aided GBU-39 bombs (up to 20 at a time!), various variants of laser and guided and JDAM bombs in addition to more conventional 250, 500 and 2000 lb bombs, the former of which also come in Snakeye configuration, turning them into retarded bombs. Also available is a new ground targets radar. As a result of this superbly flexible arsenal, the F-15E is sure to become the ideal choice for pilots in both air and combined arms battles at the top ranks.
The F-15E Strike Eagle will soon be making its way to War Thunder in the Firebirds major update, becoming the new ground attacker of choice for seasoned US pilots. Thats all for todays devblog. Until the next one, make sure to stay tuned to the news for the latest information regarding the upcoming update! Clear skies and happy hunting pilots. Please note that this vehicles characteristics may be changed before it is added to the game.