The US Air Force first developed the expensive and powerful F15A fighter jet, purely for aerial combat. After gaining strong air superiority, the low-cost F16 was developed for ground attacks. Then F15 andF16 high and low matching. High in the front and low in the back. Afterwards, the F15A was upgraded to the F15C and became the long-term air combat mainstay of the US Air Force. At the same time, there are also F15B and D dual seat trainer aircraft. Further development of F15E. Because the F15E is probably the most underestimated fighter among amateur enthusiasts, without a doubt. Nowadays, among non stealth aircraft or multi-purpose fighters, the J-16 and F15E are the strongest. Su35, Su30, Rafale, Bumblebee Everyone has to go to the back seat. Including F15C. Not to mention Su 34. F15A and C are single seat aircraft, with one pilot focused on aerial combat. F15B and D are dual seaters responsible for training. F15E is also a two seater, but it is not the same as the two seater of B and D. The two pilots of F15B, D, and E sit in front and rear seats, commonly known as tandem twin seats. B. The back seat is the flight instructor. The back seat of E is the weapon operator. The pilot in front of F15E flies the plane, while the pilot behind uses weapons. This layout and division of labor is identical to that of the Su 34, Su 30 and J 16. The Su-34 is a fighter bomber, while the Su-30 and J-16 are multi-purpose fighters. So what kind of aircraft is F15E, that becomes a question. Many people consider the F15E as a fighter bomber, along with the Su-34.

This is not right. The official name for the F15E in the US military is: Dual Mission Fighter. Fighter jets and bombers are two major categories. Fighter jets engage in aerial combat, while bombers strike ground and sea targets. Fighter jets have stronger air combat capabilities than bombers, and are faster and more flexible in the air than bombers. Radar and weapons are both suitable for air combat. Bombers have weak air combat capabilities and strong ground to sea attack capabilities. Combat bombers, by definition, are essentially bombers. Has a certain level of aerial combat capability. But even with its aerial combat capability, it is still a bomber and can never compare to fighter jets. At best, it has stronger air combat capabilities than other bombers. Multi purpose fighter jets, by definition, are essentially fighter jets. It also has a certain bombing capability. Engage in aerial combat, where multi-purpose fighter jets crush fighter bombers. Because it's a fighter jet attacking a bomber. The bombing capability of multi-purpose fighter jets is not weaker than that of fighter bombers. So multi-purpose fighter jets are much stronger than fighter bombers. The F15E is a dual mission fighter jet. By definition, it is a fighter jet. Strong aerial combat capability. Dual mission, capable of both aerial combat and bombing. It is obvious that dual mission fighters and multi-purpose fighters are the same, not the same as fighter bombers. I used to classify the F15E as the same as the J-16 and Su-30. So it is also necessary to explain. What exactly is the F15E? If you want to appear professional, you can say it's a dual mission fighter jet. No one can find fault with this. The F15E is a multi-purpose fighter jet that saves time and facilitates comparison. Saying it's a fighter bomber is definitely not correct. The US military first proposed the concept of dual mission, and the Soviet Union thought it was a good idea and followed suit. The Su-30, which was also called a dual mission fighter, was not very appealing. Change the word, versatile. You have dual tasks, I am versatile, but still more powerful than you. The multi-purpose of the Su-30 is to engage in both aerial combat and bombing, which is essentially a dual mission.

F15E dual-purpose fighter or fighter, emphasizing aerial combat. Its positioning is to engage in both aerial combat and ground bombing. But there is one more thing, back then the US Air Force's requirement for the F15E was to be able to defeat all opponents in aerial combat while also being able to bomb.From the definition of the US military's dual mission "fighter jet" and the requirement for strong air combat capabilities,the F15E is a fighter jet, not a bomber, not a fighter bomber. Previously, the United States had the F111 fighter bomber. This concept and model are readily available in the United States. If the United States were to use the F15E as a bomber and demand it as a fighter bomber, there would be no need to invent a new concept of dual mission. The F15A is a pure air superiority fighter that claims to have no weight of one pound for ground attack. To acquire the ability to launch ground attacks, it is necessary to increase the corresponding equipment. These devices will increase the weight of the aircraft, affecting speed, maneuverability, range, explosive power, and leading to a decrease in air combat capability. And these devices are of no help to air combat. The F15A is a pure air combat aircraft without any unnecessary burden, with 100% of its strength in air combat, naturally possessing strong air combat capabilities. But the F15E has added rear seats, one more person, and ground bombing equipment, resulting in a significant increase in weight. It will inevitably affect the aerial combat capability of the aircraft. So the best pure air superiority fighter jets must be single seater. One person, one set of seats, one set of monitors, the aerodynamic shape of the airplane is also superior. Of course, the F15E needs to increase its bombing capability without reducing its air combat capability, and the requirements are quite high. Problem solved easily: add money! A problem that cannot be solved without money. Using the strongest engines, two, the strongest radar, the most advanced electronic devices, the most advanced helmets The F15A is originally a high-end aircraft of the US Air Force. It is the most expensive aircraft in the world to pursue the strongest combat effectiveness regardless of cost. Even Americans themselves are too expensive. F15E has been upgraded by half and is even more expensive. So the F15E series has always been the most expensive fighter family in the world. Once briefly surpassed by F22. Later, the F22 was discontinued, while the F15E remained the world's most expensive. The latest F15EX has a unit price of 150 million US dollars, while F35 has a unit price of only 80 million US dollars. Many people think that the price is outrageous and incomprehensible, and then they come up with all kinds of fantastic ideas: Americans eat kickbacks to support the military industry In fact, in the early 1990s, the unit price of F15E was over 40 million US dollars. Over the past 30 years, the inflation of the US dollar has increased fivefold, resulting in a current price of 200 million US dollars. The F15EX has a significant upgrade on the F15E, priced at 150 million yuan, which is already very cheap and considerate. It's not the F15EX that's expensive, but the F15E series, which has always been the most expensive fighter jet. When F22 was discontinued, the unit price was also 150 million US dollars. This price is due to the fact that the US Air Force only purchased over 180 aircraft. If we don't stop production and continue to buy 400 or 600 units, the unit price of F22 will inevitably decrease. Lowering to $100-120 million is a reasonable price range. If F22 continues to be produced, the F15E series will be even more expensive than F22. I have mentioned this issue several times before, saying that the F22 is too expensive, even the US military cannot afford to equip it. It is purely a fool's lie. Compared with the F15E, the F22 is not expensive. Why not consider buying a $150 million F15EX expensive? The 150 million of F22 is caused by the production of 180 aircraft. If we buy 400 aircraft, it will be 120 million, which is even less expensive. F15A、C， The Su-27, Su-35, and J-11 are twin engine heavy air superiority fighters, followed by a branch consisting of the F15E, Su-30, and J-16. They are one family. Who else?Single seat J-20 and dual seat J-20!

F15 also scores in two major branches:

The US military's own F15C and Japan's F15J are F15A series.

The F15I from Israel, F15S from Saudi Arabia, F15SG from Singapore, F15K from South Korea, and the latest F15EX are the US military's own F15E series.The F15E series is very popular.The advantage of being expensive is that it is powerful in aerial combat and ground bombing. It is actually very cost-effective to have two planes at a time. Those who buy F15E are those who are not short of money. Among the two most expensive planes, F15C and F15E, choose the most expensive F15E to buy.The F15K from South Korea is much more advanced than the F15J from Japan. So after obtaining the F15K a few years ago, South Korea really experienced a period of expansion. But F15K is really good. Before the J-20 and J-16 entered service, they dared to call themselves the number one in Asia.The first F15E dual mission fighter, Russia followed suit with the development of the Su-30 multi-purpose fighter, and later China's J-16. These fighter jets were required to maintain strong air combat capabilities while also being able to bomb, with very high demands. Su-30 and J-16 are not cheap.Su-30 is also very popular, bought in more than ten countries. The concept of a multi-purpose/dual mission fighter jet is very appealing. In theory, if the level of importance is the same, a single seat aircraft would definitely be the most powerful in aerial combat. However, being able to both air combat and bombing is too desirable. Countries have increased their emphasis on dual seat aircraft, which has increased research and development costs, resulting in its air combat capability being no lower than that of a single seat aircraft and an additional bombing capability. Just like the J-16 versus J-11Taking a step back, the air combat capabilities of the F15E against the F15C, the Su-30V against the Su-27, and the J-16 against the J-11, even if they are low, are only slightly lower. Completely capable of fighting. Fighter bombers such as the Su-34 are far behind the F15C, Su-27, and J-11.F15E、 The Su-30 and J-16 are both capable of engaging in aerial combat with other fighter jets, and even demand to win. The Su-34 fighter bomber definitely doesn't have the capability, how can it engage in aerial combat with fighter jets? Anyway, the F15E cannot be counted as a fighter bomber.But this raises a new question. After all, the F15E was an aircraft 30 years ago. Why is it still tied for first place with the J-16 among non stealth aircraft now?

Source: Military of Strong Countries