F - 15 Eagle family The F - 15 Eagle family is a family of fighter jets has three main versions : the F - 15C Eagle , the F - 15E Strike Eagle , and the F - 15S / MTD . Each one with his respecitives variants . F - 15 Eagle . The F - 15 Eagle is an all - weather , extremely maneuverable , tactical fighter designed to permit the Air Force to gain and maintain air superiority in aerial combat . The Eagle ' s air superiority is achieved through a mixture of unprecedented maneuverability and acceleration , range , weapons and avionics . It can penetrate enemy defense and outperform and outfight almost any current enemy aircraft . The F - 15 has electronic systems and weaponry to detect , acquire , track and attack enemy aircraft while operating in friendly or enemy - controlled airspace . The Eagle can be armed with AIM - 7F / M Sparrow missiles or AIM - 120 advanced medium range air - to - air missiles on its lower fuselage corners , AIM - 9L / M Sidewinder or AIM - 120 missiles on two pylons under the wings , and an internal 20mm Gatling gun in the right wing root . The weapons and flight control systems are designed so one person can safely and effectively perform air - to - air combat . The F - 15 ' s superior maneuverability , rate - of - climb and acceleration are achieved through high engine thrust - to - weight ratio and low wing loading . Low wing - loading ( the ratio of aircraft weight to its wing area ) is a vital factor in maneuverability and , combined with the high thrust - to - weight ratio , enables the aircraft to turn tightly without losing airspeed . As a result , the F - 15 is one of the deadliest ( and best ) fighters ever built . As of today , the F - 15 kill ratio stands at 108 air - to - air victories and no air - to - air losses . The Eagle is used by America , Israel , Japan , and Saudi Arabia . It is currently being succeeded by the F - 22 Raptor though the U . S . Air Force that will keep at least 178 combat - ready Eagles through 2025 . The price for one F - 15C is an estimated $ 29 , 900 , 000 USD . F - 15E Strike Eagle . " Main Article : F - 15E Strike Eagle " The F - 15E Strike Eagle is a fighter - bomber aircraft designed to replace the F - 111F Aardvark as Medium Bomber . The plans for a ground attack Eagle was formed ever since testing began of the original F - 15A . However , it was abandoned in 1975 , primarily due to increasing costs . It was revived in 1982 when trials began with a F - 15B . The production model first flew December 11 , 1986 , after it ' s only competition , the F - 16XL was canceled . The F - 15 ' s cockpit is state - of - the - art and the pilot has a wide angle Heads - Up Display as well as 3 Multi - Function Displays and the Weapons Systems Operator has 4 MFD ' s . The only advantage between the Strike Eagle ( which was also known as the Beagle and the Mud Hen ) and the Aardvark it replaced , is that it acquired air - to - ground capability , while retaining the F - 15C ' s outstanding air - to - air capability . The disadvantage , which was criticized in its early life , was the fact that the F - 15E didn ' t have the internal range ( 2 , 994 miles in the F - 111 to 2 , 100 miles in the F - 15E ) nor the weapons payload capability ( 31 , 302 lbs to 24 , 471 lbs ) as the Aardvark . However , despite these shortcomings , the F - 15E is one of the most powerful aircraft in the U . S . arsenal , as proved in the Persian Gulf , the Middle East and the Balkans . Strike Eagles are used in other countries , including Israel ( F - 15I Ra ' am ) , South Korea ( F - 15K Slam Eagle ) , Saudi Arabia ( F - 15S ) and Singapore ( F - 15SG or F - 15T ) . F - 15S / MTD . The F - 15S / MTD ( STOL / Maneuverability Technology Demonstrator ) is an experimental technology demonstrator employed by NASA and built off of an F - 15B airframe , initially used to test advancements in super - maneuverability and short take off and landing technologies . Initially funded as a military experiment , the F - 15S / MTD was eventually aquisitioned by NASA and modified with multi - dimensional thrust vectoring nozzles and ACTIVE ( Advanced Control Technology for Integrated Vehicles ) technologies , meant to improve aircraft control and survivability in combat . The aircraft was easily capable of pulling Pugachev ' s Cobra maneuver , and in its S / MTD form , was equipped with thrust reversers , able to slow the aircraft down in a fraction of the time compared to conventionally equipped fighters . It managed a rotation speed of just 42 mph , and could land on a runway only a fraction the size of that required by the F - 15C . By 1991 the project had ended in its S / MTD form and was deemed a success , and the technologies pioneered in the program would eventually be adapted to serve with the joint U . S . / German X - 31 program , and ultimately the F - 22 Raptor program and its offshoot contemporaries . F - 15I Ra ' am . The F - 15I is deployed by the Israeli Air Force where it is known as the Ra ' am ( רעם - " Thunder " ) . It is a dual - seat ground attack aircraft powered by two Pratt & Whitney F100 - PW - 229 engines , and is based on the F - 15E . After the Gulf War , in which Israeli towns were attacked by SCUD missiles based in Iraq , the Israeli government decided that it needed a long range strike aircraft . In 1993 , Israel issued a Request for Information ( RFI ) asking any aircraft companies interested in producing the new Israeli fighter for their proposals . In response , Lockheed Martin offered a version of the F - 16 Fighting Falcon and McDonnell Douglas offered both the F / A - 18 Hornet and the F - 15E Strike Eagle . On 27 January 1994 , the Israeli government announced that they intended to purchase 21 F - 15Es . The F - 15E design was modified to Israeli requirements , including the DASH helmet mounted sight and was renamed F - 15I . On 12 May 1994 , the US Government authorized the purchase of up to 25 F - 15Is by Israel . In November 1995 , Israel purchased 4 more F - 15Is , bringing them to the US imposed limit . 25 were built from 1996 to 1998 . F - 15SE Silent Eagle . The F - 15SE is a new development of the highly popular and successful F - 15E . With stealth capabilities extrapolated to be similar to export variants of the F - 35 Lightning II , it is a formidable addition to the Eagle Family . It does away with the CFT ' s of the F - 15E , replacing them with similarly - shaped internal weapons bays to increase its stealth properties . The F - 15SE ' s entire tail section has been redesigned , with outrward - canted tailfins , much like the F / A - 18 . The new Eagle is reportedly made of new radar - absorbent composite materials , and the rear section of the F - 15SE has been fitted with highly classified new electronic countermeasure equipment sets .