F-15 Eagle

F-15 Eagle

F-15A Eagle jet fighter on a special concrete display pad at the Pacific Coast Air Museum. View of the right side.

Our F-15 A Eagle is the "First Responder" aircraft, the first aircraft to respond to the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. She and another Eagle from the 101st Fighter Squadron, 102nd Fighter Wing, Otis Air National Guard Base (ANGB) Massachusetts were scrambled in response to the hijack of the commercial airliners on that day.

Broadside view of the right side of the F-15A Eagle at the Pacific Coast Air Museum

The F-15 was developed in the late 1960s, was deployed in 1976, and continues to serve front-line squadrons today. It will continue to serve the Unites States beyond 2025.

“First Responder” F-15 Eagle on the field at the Pacific Coast Air Museum. View of the front left quarter.

The F-15 is agile, fast, and potent. The F-15 is considered among the most successful modern fighters with over 100 aerial combat victories. No F-15 has been shot down by an enemy aircraft, though some have been lost to ground fire.

F-15A Eagle jet fighter on a special concrete pad at the Pacific Coast Air Museum, viewed from directly in front.

The F-15 s a twin-engine, all-weather tactical fighter designed to gain and maintain air superiority in aerial combat.

“First Responder” F-15 Eagle on a gray and foggy day at the Pacific Coast Air Museum. Broadside view of its left side.

The 9/11 “First Responder” F-15A Eagle aircraft has been restored to the condition and markings it wore when it flew its guardian mission on 9/11/2001.

Left to Right: Museum President Jim Cook, donor Hattie Stone, and Executive Director Dave Pinsky at the dedication ceremony of the special First Responder exhibit, September 11, 2011. Hattie Stone the "Sweetheart of the Museum," donated much of the funds necessary to build this special exhibit.

F-15A Eagle #102: the September 11 First Responder

The Pacific Coast Air Museum has the honor of being the home of the first aircraft to respond to the World Trade Center attacks in New York City on September 11, 2001. The F-15 Eagle is on loan from the National Museum of the United States Air Force.

The 9/11 “First Responder” F-15A Eagle #77-102 was flown by Lt. Col Duffy on combat air patrol missions to clear the New York City airspace. “102” and the 102nd Fighter Wing continued to protect the skies over the eastern United States for several months.

F-15 Eagle History

From Wikipedia: The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is an American twin-engine, all-weather tactical fighter aircraft designed by McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) to gain and maintain air supremacy in aerial combat. Following reviews of proposals, the United States Air Force selected McDonnell Douglas’ design in 1967 to meet the service’s need for a dedicated air superiority fighter. The Eagle first flew in July 1972, and entered service in 1976. It is among the most successful modern fighters, with over 100 victories and no losses in aerial combat, with the majority of the kills scored by the Israel Air Force.

The Eagle has been exported to Israel, Japan, and Saudi Arabia. The F-15 was originally envisioned as a pure air superiority aircraft. Its design included a secondary ground-attack capability that was largely unused. The aircraft design proved flexible enough that an all-weather strike derivative, the F-15E Strike Eagle, was later developed and entered service in 1989. The F-15 Eagle is expected to be in service with the U.S. Air Force past 2025. Newer models are still being produced for foreign users. The F-15 production line is set to end in 2019, 47 years after the type’s first flight.

F-15 Eagle Specifications

Dimensions & Weights

Wingspan

42 ft 10 in

Length

63 ft 9 in

Height

18 ft 6 in

Maximum takeoff weight

68,000 lbs

Accommodation

One (pilot)

Performance

Maximum speed, high-altitude

Mach 2.5+ (1,650+ mph, 2,660+ km/h)

Maximum speed low altitude:

Mach 1.2 (900 mph, 1,450 km/h)

Powerplant and Fuel System

2× Pratt & Whitney F100-100, -220 or -229 afterburning turbofans
Dry thrust: 17,450 lbf (77.62 kN) each
Thrust with afterburner: 25,000 lbf for -220; 29,000 lbf for -229 (111.2 kN for -220; 129.0 kN for -229) each

Armament (fixed)

Fixed: 1× 20 mm (0.787 in) M61A1 Vulcan 6-barrel Rotary cannon, 940 rounds

Disposable: Various combinations of AIM-7 Sparrow, AIM-9 Sidewinder, and AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles, drop tanks, electronics pods, and cargo pods carried on two underwing pylons. Four AIM-7 Sparrow missiles are carried semi-recessed on the fuselage.

Electronics and operational equipment

Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System

Radar: Raytheon AN/APG-63 or AN/APG-70 or Raytheon AN/APG-63(V)1 or Raytheon AN/APG-63(V)2 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) or Raytheon AN/APG-63(V)3 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA)

Countermeasures: Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems AN/ALQ-131 electronic countermeasures pod, Hazeltine AN/APX-76 or Raytheon AN/APX-119 Identify Friend/Foe (IFF) interrogator, Magnavox AN/ALQ-128 Electronic Warfare Warning Set (EWWS) – part of Tactical Electronic Warfare Systems (TEWS), Loral AN/ALR-56 Radar warning receivers (RWR) – part of TEWS, Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems ALQ-135 Internal Countermeasures System (ICS) – part of TEWS. Marconi AN/ALE-45 Chaff/Flares dispenser system – part of TEWS.

Crew Chief

Gary Greenough