Reader Response Draft #3

 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, designed skilfully for both air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. It features a swept-back wing design built that enhances lift and control, along with leading-edge slats and trailing-edge flats that adds to the aircraft’s performance when flying at various different 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 fibre, the wings gain both structural integrity and reduced weight. Due to such key traits, the wing structure allows for increased lift at lower speeds, an improvement in take-off and landing capabilities, as well as enhanced manoeuvrability in the skies. The aircraft has leverage when it comes to high-stakes dogfights, where it has great agility, allowing for quick swift changes of direction. Overall, the F-15E’s wing design proves to be integral to the aircraft's performances, and it allows to remain competitive when it comes to air-to-air combat, ground attacks, and precision strike missions, further proving its status as a versatile multi-role fighter jet.

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

Manoeuvrability is an asset for fighter jets. The F-16 Fighting Falcon is known to be one of the more successful fighter aircraft built, "with the goal of being able to manoeuvre with a minimum amount of energy loss, and to have a high thrust to weight ratio", where it was designed with intentions of easier maintenance and repair (Diffen LLC, n.d.). Upon comparison with the F-15E, the F-16 has smaller, compact wings, built and designed with the purpose of having enhanced agility and better movements in the sky. Former F-16 pilot Hetke previously recounted on an intense combat situation he was caught in, adding that he had "the thrust and manoeuvrability to get away from the enemy" when it mattered (Hetke, as cited in RTX, 2024). With that, the F-15E, with its large, swept-back wings, were heavier and was 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 manoeuvres at low-altitude. 

Lower-cost jets are key to ensuring that the U.S. Air Force can maximise on their operational capabilities. There has been 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 overall cheaper to produce and operate, but it was also a more cost-effective option compared to the F-15 variants, allowing them to deploy more units at once during operations.

While it is true that the F-16 has better manoeuvrability and is more cost-efficient compared to the F-15E, it is noted that the F-15's combat record far exceeds that of the F-16 in terms of air combat, with a track record proving so. While the F-16 holds a record of 76 air-to-air kills and one loss (Meilak, as cited in MiGFlug, n.d.), the F-15 has held a flawless record for aerial combat at about 104 air-air kills with zero losses from previous involvement in the Lebanon War and the Gulf War, along with other missions which were conducted in Iran and Afghanistan (Tirpak, 2015). This goes to prove that while the F-16 may have been known for its enhanced agility which exceeds that of the F-15, its performance undermines the F-15E when it comes to combat performance.

To conclude, though the F-15E's broad, heavier swept-back wing design contributes greatly to its air combat performance, the F-16 was a cheaper solution at a similar design, but smaller, compact and light-weight would ultimately impact the choices made by the U.S Air Force which lay beyond air combat performances. Such factors eventually positioned the F-16 it into a more ideal option as it is considered a more cost-efficient and sustainable choice than the F-15E.

References

Braden, P. F. (2016). F-16 Wing Structure Lifecycle. Procedia Structural Integrity, 1, 106–109. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prostr.2016.02.014

Diffen LLC (n.d.). F-15 vs F-16 Fighting Falcon. https://www.diffen.com/difference/F-15_vs_F-16_Fighting_Falcon

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

Meilak, J. (n.d.). Combat Statistics for All the Aircraft Currently in Use. Migflug. https://migflug.com/jetflights/the-combat-statistics-for-all-the-aircraft-currently-in-use/

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

Tirpak, J.A. (2015). Eagle Classics: Celebrating the F-15’s 40-year reign. Air & Space Forces Magazine. https://www.airandspaceforces.com/PDF/MagazineArchive/Magazine%20Documents/2015/December%202015/1215classics.pdf