How many F-15s still fly today? The short answer is 428, according to the World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft (WDMMA) – last updated on January 5, 2024. But there’s more to the F-15’s role in the US Air Force than numbers alone.

Our dear loyal readers don’t tune into us for mere short, abrupt answers. With that in mind, we’ll now dive deeper into the numbers behind the USAF’s F-15 Eagle numbers.

F-15C

The standard single-seater air superiority fighter variant of the warbird was produced between 1979 and 1985 (for the basis of comparison, the original F-15A made its maiden flight on July 27, 1972, and entered official operational service with the USAF on January 8, 1976). WDMMA lists 210 F-15C airframes in the current USAF arsenal.

“Oh, I wish I had eight AMRAAMs like the Eagle

I’d be having so much fun. it’d be illegal

Like a guy who ain’t been laid for months, I’d shoot those f*ck*rs all at once

I wish I had eight AMRAAMs like the Eagle”

— “I Wish I Had A Gun Just Like The A-10” (verse 2) by Dos Gringos

This version of the Eagle has racked up the lion’s share of the plane’s unmatched 104:0 air-to-air kill ratio.

Fuselage Length:

63 ft 9 in (19.43 m)

Wingspan:

42 ft 10 in (13.06 m)

Height:

18 ft 6 in (5.64 m)

Empty Weight:

28,000 lb (12,701 kg)

Max Takeoff Weight:

68,000 lb (30,844 kg)

Powerplant:

2 × Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-220 afterburning turbofans, 14,590 lbf (64.9 kN) thrust each dry, 23,770 lbf (105.7 kN) with afterburner

Fuel Capacity:

13,455 lb (6,103 kg) internal

Max Airspeed:

Mach 2.5 (1,650 mph, 2,655 km/h) at high altitude

  • Mach 1.2, 800 kn (921 mph; 1,482 km/h) at sea level

Combat Range:

1,061 NM (1,221 mi, 1,965 km) for interdiction mission

g Limits:

+9

Service Ceiling

65,000 ft (20,000 m)

Armament:

  • Guns: 1× 20 mm (0.787 in) M61A1 Vulcan 6-barrel rotary cannon, 940 rounds
  • Hardpoints: Total 9: two under-wing (each with additional two missile launch rails), four under-fuselage (for semi-recessed carriage of AIM-7 Sparrows) and a single centerline pylon station, optional fuselage pylons (which may include conformal fuel tanks) with a capacity of 16,000 lb (7,300 kg), with provisions to carry combinations of:

    • Missiles:

      • 4× AIM-7 Sparrow
      • 4× AIM-9 Sidewinder
      • 8× AIM-120 AMRAAM

F-15E Strike Eagle

The first of the two-seater versions—making its maiden flight on December 11, 1986, and officially entering USAF operational service on September 30, 1989—is unofficially and affectionately known as the “Mudhen.” WDMMA says the USAF currently has 218 of these aircraft in the fleet.

“Oh, I wish I had the gas just like the Mudhen

To hang around that long is just a sin

And while you RTB and scoff

I’m doing loops and j*ck*ng off

I wish I had the gas just like the Mudhen”

–Verse 3 of the previously cited Dos Gringos song

So, where exactly does that “Mudhen” nickname – which sounds nowhere near as intimidating or warrior-minded as “Strike Eagle” – come from? Giantbomb.com gives us the answer:

“It is affectionately known as the Mudhen, with Mud in reference to its air to ground role and darker color scheme and hen referencing its fat CFTs [conformal fuel tanks]. F-15C crews call the F-15E ‘the dark side’ and pilots that transition to the F-15E are ‘joining the dark side.'”.

Regarding that air-to-ground role, the Strike Eagle was first “blooded” in combat during the 1991 Persian Gulf War AKA Operation Desert Storm. To quote Giantbomb again:

“[I]t was arguably the unsung hero of the war. The F-15E was the most tasked airframe in the US Air Force during the conflict, with planes flying as many as three missions a day.”

Among the ground attack missions carried out by the F-15Es during Desert Storm was that of so-called “tank plinking,” i.e., carrying out precision strikes against then-Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein’s T-55, T-62, and T-72 main battle tanks (MBTs). The Mudhen has one air-to-air kill to its credit, obtained on February 24 of that year: a Mil Mi-24 “Hind” helicopter destroyed with a laser-guided bomb. As described by the pilot in a 2021 article on Sandboxx:

“There was a big flash, and I could see pieces flying in different directions. It blew the helicopter to hell, damn near vaporized it.”

“Strike Eagle, Strike Eagle. they call me by name

I”ve bombed the hell out of Goldwater Range

I fly oe’r the mountains, I fly oe’r the sea

Ain’t no combat airplane as deadly as me”

–“Strike Eagle” by Dick Jonas, Lt. Col., USAF (Ret.)

Fuselage Length:

63 ft 9.6 in (19.446 m)

Wingspan:

42 ft 9.6 in (13.045 m)

Height:

18 ft 6 in (5.64 m)

Empty Weight:

34,600 lb (15,694 kg)

Max Takeoff Weight:

81,000 lb (36,741 kg)

Powerplant:

12,915 lb (5,858 kg) internal, 22,267 lb (10,100 kg) with conformal fuel tanks (CFT), 34,162 lb (15,496 kg) with CFTs and 3 600-gallon (2,270 L) external fuel tanks

Fuel Capacity:

2 × Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-220 afterburning turbofan, 14,590 lbf (64.9 kN) thrust each dry, 23,770 lbf (105.7 kN) with afterburner (or 2 × F100-PW-229, thrust: 17,800 lb dry (79 kN); 29,160 lb (129.7 kN) with afterburner each)

Max Airspeed:

Mach 2.5, 1,650 mph (2,655 km/h) at high altitude Mach 1.2 / 800 kn (921 mph; 1,482 km/h) at low altitude

Combat Range:

687 NM (791 mi, 1,272 km)

g Limits

+9

Armament:

  • Guns: 1× 20 mm (0.787 in) M61A1 Vulcan 6-barreled Gatling cannon, 500 rounds of either M-56 or PGU-28 ammunition
  • Hardpoints: 4 wing pylons, fuselage pylons, bomb racks on CFTs with a capacity of 23,000 lb (10,400 kg) of external fuel and ordnance
  • Missiles:

    • Air-to-air missiles:

      • 4× AIM-7 Sparrow
      • 4× AIM-9 Sidewinder
      • 8× AIM-120 AMRAAM
      • AIM-260 JATM (To be integrated)
    • Air-to-surface missiles:

      • 6× AGM-65 Maverick
      • 2× AGM-84 Harpoon
      • 2× AGM-84H/K SLAM-ER
      • AGM-130
      • AGM-154 JSOW
      • AGM-158 JASSM
  • Bombs:

    • Mark 82 bomb
    • Mark 84 bomb
    • GBU-15
    • GBU-10 Paveway II
    • GBU-12 Paveway II
    • GBU-24 Paveway III
    • GBU-27 Paveway III
    • GBU-28 (Bunker buster)
    • GBU-31 or GBU-38 8 GBU-31s or 16 GBU-38s (JDAM)
    • GBU-54 Laser JDAM (LJDAM)
    • GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb (SDB)
    • B61 nuclear bomb
    • CBU-87 or CBU-103 (CEM)
    • CBU-89 or CBU-104 (GATOR)
    • CBU-97 or CBU-105 (SFW)
    • CBU-107 Passive Attack Weapon
    • BLU-107 Durandal

But what about the F-15EX Eagle II?

The latest and greatest of the two-seater Eagle variants is the F-15EX Eagle II. According to WDMMA, they’re still on order, along with F-15Cs and Es, with a combined total of 144 airframes awaiting delivery. The Boeing F-15EX Eagle II achieved Initial Operational Capability (IOC) in July of this year, with eight units delivered at that point, as reported by the National Interest. Last December, two Boeing F-15EX Eagle II arrived at Eglin Air Force Base (AFB), Florida, joining two other F-15EXs previously delivered, with the first arriving in 2021.

“The aircraft have been used in ongoing tests on the all-weather multirole fighter, an advanced variant of the combat-proven F-15 Eagle that first entered service nearly five decades ago.”—The National Interest

Fuselage Length:

63 ft 9.6 in (19.446 m)

Wingspan:

42 ft 9.6 in (13.045 m)

Height:

18 ft 6 in (5.64 m)

Empty Weight:

34,600 lb (15,694 kg)

Max Takeoff Weight:

81,000 lb (36,741 kg)

Powerplant:

2 × General Electric (G.E.) F110-GE-129 afterburning turbofan, 17,155 lbf (76.31 kN) thrust each dry, 29,500 lbf (131 kN) with afterburner

Fuel Capacity:

????

Max Airspeed:

Mach 2.5, 1,650 mph (2,655 km/h) at high altitude Mach 1.2, 800 kn (921 mph; 1,482 km/h) at low altitude

Combat Range:

687 NM (791 mi, 1,272 km)

g Limits:

+9

Service Ceiling

60,000 ft (18,000 m)

Armament:

  • Guns: 1× 20 mm (0.787 in) M61A1 Vulcan 6-barreled Gatling cannon, 500 rounds of either M-56 or PGU-28 ammunition
  • Hardpoints: 4 wing pylons, fuselage pylons, bomb racks on CFTs with 23 hardpoints with a capacity of 29,500 lb (13,400 kg) of external fuel and ordnance
  • Missiles:

    • Air-to-air missiles: 12 hardpoints

      • AIM-9X Sidewinder
      • AIM-120 AMRAAM
    • Air-to-surface missiles:

      • AGM-158 JASSM
      • AGM-88 HARM
      • AGM-183 ARRW
    • Bombs:

      • GBU-31 or GBU-38 JDAM
      • GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb

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