Reader Response Draft #1

 A F-15E Strike Eagle from the 90th Fighter Squadron, Elmendorf Air Force Base, Alaska, (U.S. Air Force photo)

According to the U.S. Air Force (2019), the F-15E Strike Eagle is known for being an impressive multi-role fighter jet, skillfully designed for both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. It features a swept-back wing design built to enhance lift and control, along with leading-edge slats and trailing-edge flats that improves the aircraft’s performance when flying at various speeds. The shape of the wings are angled backwards, aimed to minimise drag at high speeds, and enhance airflow over its surface. Constructed of aluminium alloys with composite materials such as carbon fiber, the wings gain both structural integrity and reduced weight. Such key traits of the wing structure allows for increased lift at lower speeds, improving takeoff and landing capabilities, as well as enhanced manoeuvrability in the sky. The aircraft has an important advantage in high-stakes dogfights, where it has great agility, allowing for swift changes of direction. Overall, the F-15E’s wing design proves to be integral to the aircraft's performances, allowing it to remain competitive in air-to-air combat, ground attacks, and precision strike missions, proving its status as a versatile multi-role fighter jet.

However, the F-16 variants are still preferred by the U.S. Air Force despite the F-15E's performance and wing design, largely due to the F-16's lighter and more compact design, leading to better manoeuvrability, enhanced agility with lower production and maintenance costs.

With its superior manoeuvrability, the F-16 Fighting Falcon is known to be one of the more successful fighter aircraft built, "with the goal of being able to maneuver with a minimum amount of energy loss, and to have a high thrust to weight ratio", where it was designed with the intention of easier maintenance and repair (Diffen LLC, n.d.). When comparing with the F-15E, the F-16 has smaller, compact wings, designed to enhance its agility and movements in the skies. Former F-16 pilot Hetke recounted on an intense combat situation he was caught in, adding that he had "the thrust and maneuverability to get away from the enemy" when it mattered (Hetke, as cited in RTX, 2024). The F-15E however, has large, swept-back wings that were designed to provide stability and high speeds instead. While the F-15E is suited for high-altitude and heavy payload missions, the F-16 was favoured for dogfights and its manoeuvers at low-altitude. 

To add on, there was a significant difference between the unit costs of both aircrafts. According to Diffen (n.d.), the F-16 variants cost about US$18 million per unit, in comparison to the F-15s' at 30 million per unit, allowing for up to 4,500 units built compared to the F-15s' at about 1,200 units. The reason why the F-16 ended up relatively cheaper is partially due to the materials used with Braden (2016) noting that the F-16 was "designed without much use of titanium or other high strength," to cut costs and allow for easier maintenance. (p.107). Not only was the F-16 cheaper to produce and operate, it is also an overall more cost-effective option compared to the F-15 variants.

References:

Braden, P.F. (2016). F-16 Wing Structure Lifecycle. Procedia Structural Integrity, 1, pp. 106–109. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prostr.2016.02.015 (Accessed: 23 September 2024). 

Diffen LLC (n.d.). F-15 vs F-16 Fighting Falcon. Available at: https://www.diffen.com/difference/F-15_vs_F-16_Fighting_Falcon (Accessed: 18 September 2024). 

F-15E Strike Eagle (2019) U.S. Air Force. Available at: https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/104499/ (Accessed: 21 September 2024). 

RTX. (2024). Flying with Confidence: Why pilots love the F-15 and F-16. Available at: https://www.rtx.com/news/2024/07/16/flying-with-confidence (Accessed: 23 September 2024)