{"id":58838,"date":"2025-02-27T09:03:39","date_gmt":"2025-02-27T08:03:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/?p=58838"},"modified":"2025-03-06T22:26:56","modified_gmt":"2025-03-06T21:26:56","slug":"the-spectacular-zoom-climb-of-a-usaf-f-15ex-eagle-ii-fighter-at-eglin-afb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.outono.net\/elentir\/2025\/02\/27\/the-spectacular-zoom-climb-of-a-usaf-f-15ex-eagle-ii-fighter-at-eglin-afb\/","title":{"rendered":"The spectacular 'zoom climb' of a USAF F-15EX Eagle II fighter at Eglin AFB"},"content":{"rendered":"

The F-15 Eagle, operational since 1976, is today the oldest fighter aircraft in the United States Air Force (USAF).<\/p>\n

The features of the new F-15IA Eagle II fighters that the US has approved for sale to Israel<\/a><\/rel>
\nThe incredible typical maneuvers of an F-22 Raptor that an F-15QA fighter has done in Dubai<\/a><\/rel><\/p>\n

Despite its many years of service, this excellent fighter remains a formidable weapons system with surprising performance<\/strong>, something it has been demonstrating for decades not only with its maximum speed (Mach 2.45, 2,602 km\/h), its flight ceiling (65,000 feet, 20,000 meters) and its range (up to 5,600 km with external tanks), but also with its impressive rate of lift: it can reach a height of 9,100 meters in 60 seconds<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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In addition to its design, the F-15 owes this formidable capability to its two Pratt & Whitney F100 turbofan engines<\/strong>, which each provide a thrust of 105.7 kN with afterburner. To give you an idea, each of the two engines of a Eurofighter (an aircraft with excellent power) has a thrust of 89.9 kN with afterburner.<\/p>\n

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The F-15's lift capability led to the creation of an anti-satellite missile, the ASM-135 ASAT, for this aircraft<\/strong>, a program cancelled in 1988 and during which on September 13, 1985, a USAF F-15A<\/strong>, piloted by then Major Wilbert \"Doug\" Pearson Jr., became the only aircraft to have shot down a satellite<\/strong>, specifically the P78-1 Solwind, launched in 1979, during testing of that missile.<\/p>\n

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The USAF is currently taking delivery of the most modern version of the F-15, the F-15EX Eagle II<\/strong>, a derivative of the F-15E Strike Eagle fighter-bomber. The USAF is scheduled to receive a total of 104 F-15EXs<\/strong> to bolster its F-22 fleet in response to the delay in the entry into service of the F-35A. On February 21, an F-15EX from the 53rd Wing based at Eglin AFB, Florida, made a commemorative flight to mark the 50th anniversary of the Streak Eagle Program<\/strong>, a variant of the F-15A launched in January 1975 that achieved eight climb records. After takeoff, the F-15EX performed a spectacular \"zoom climb\", as it is known in aeronautical terms for a high-speed, almost vertical climb:<\/p>\n