- The US Air Force deployed F-15E Strike Eagles during Operation Epic Fury against Iran.
- The fighter jets are designed for air-to-air and air-to-ground combat in all weather, day or night.
- Kuwait mistakenly shot down three F-15E Strike Eagles in a "friendly fire" incident, CENTCOM said.
F-15E Strike Eagles, fighter jets designed for air-to-air and air-to-ground combat, are usually a dominating force in the skies.
When three F-15E Strike Eagles were mistakenly shot down by Kuwait during Operation Epic Fury, it brought renewed attention to one of the Air Force's fastest, most versatile aircraft.
Here's a closer look at the F-15E Strike Eagle, an advanced aircraft the US is using to destroy Iran's missile arsenal and drone bases from the skies above Iran.
The F-15E Strike Eagle has been in service in the US Air Force for nearly 40 years.
The first F-15A model flew in 1972, and the first F-15Es were produced in 1988, according to the US Air Force.
It's the fastest crewed aircraft in the US Air Force.
The air-to-air and air-to-ground attack aircraft can fly at 1,875 miles per hour, or 2.5 times the speed of sound.
The F-15E Strike Eagle's high thrust-to-weight ratio enables it to accelerate during vertical climb.
The high thrust-to-weight ratio also allows the F-15E Strike Eagle to execute tight turns without sacrificing speed. It has two Pratt & Whitney F100 engines, each producing over 23,000 pounds of thrust.
Another distinguishing capability is the plane's head-up display, which projects flight and tactical information directly on the windscreen.
Pilots can track and attack targets, check the status of weapons, and see other tactical and flight information without taking their eyes off the windscreen.
The fighter jet also includes a low-altitude navigation and targeting infrared for night (LANTIRN) system.
The LANTIRN system allows the planes to fly in any weather and attack ground targets at low altitudes. The system consists of two pods, a navigation pod and a targeting pod, mounted under the plane.
F-15E Strike Eagles can carry both nuclear and conventional weapons.
Its armament includes an internally mounted 20-millimeter gun with 500 rounds of ammunition, AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles, and AIM-120 AMRAAMs, an acronym for the radar-guided Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles.
The F-15 also regularly carries ground attack weapons like the Joint Direct Attack Munition, or JDAM, a kit that adapts an unguided munition into a "smart" bomb with fins and GPS guidance.
F-15E Strike Eagles are flown by a pilot and a weapons systems officer.
The weapon system officer sits directly behind the pilot, and closely manages the plane's sensors and weapons.
Two variants of the F-15 are single-seaters: the F-15A and F-15C.
The planes can fly 2,400 miles without refueling, and can be refueled in flight.
F-15E Strike Eagles have a fuel capacity of 35,550 pounds.
The fighter jets can be refueled in flight by KC-135 Stratotanker aircraft, which Boeing developed from its "Dash 80" prototype in the 1950s.
KC-135s were also deployed to Israel as part of Operation Epic Fury. One crashed in western Iraq on Thursday, killing six US service members. United States Central Command said the circumstances of the crash were under investigation, but it "was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire."
Each F-15E cost $31.1 million to produce in 1998, according to US Air Force figures. That would be around $62.3 million when adjusted for inflation.
Newer F-15 models cost around $100 million, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The newest version of the aircraft is the F-15EX Eagle II, which features more advanced controls and upgraded engines.
On March 1, Kuwait's air defenses mistakenly shot down three American F-15Es during Operation Epic Fury in what US Central Command described as a "friendly fire incident."
All six crew members ejected safely. The incident is under investigation.
"Kuwait has acknowledged this incident, and we are grateful for the efforts of the Kuwaiti defense forces and their support in this ongoing operation," CENTCOM said.
