Jump to content

F-15C as bombing platform?


Recommended Posts

Anyone remember McDD's slogan back when they were pitching the Eagle to USAF?

 

"not a pound for air-to-ground"

 

while on the other side of the ramp they were testing A-G stores/delivery...

Link to post
Share on other sites
7 hours ago, Benner said:

… interesting, now how to get a conformal fuel tank with proper stores pylons for a F-15C ? guess I would have to rob from an F-15E kit? 🙂

 

Hasegawa includes the CFT hardpoints in all of their 1/48 Eagle kits - they're on the C runner, with the fuel tanks, missiles and tail surfaces. 

 

They also include the CFT hardpoints in all of their 1/72 Strike Eagle kits - in this case, they're on the H-runner, together with the MERs and the Rockeye bombs, which are still included even in the modern F-15E releases.

 

I have no idea whether the CFTs included in the modern kits have the proper mounting holes for these hardpoints though, so aligning them might be a severe chore if you're starting from a new kit.

 

The older CFTs that used to be included in the F-15E boxes back when Hasegawa would have you put MERs on the production Mudhen did have mounting holes with the correct alignment though.

 

Also, be on the lookout for any Hasegawa F-15C kit marked "Alaska" or "Elmendorf" - these tend to include the CFTs, because the Eagles that fly out of there pretty much always have the CFTs equipped for the extra range. 

Link to post
Share on other sites

EWhen I worked wing scheduling at Kadena in the early 80s we were told from on high to test the bombing capabilities of our Eagles using only the supplied on board equipment.  When we told our three squadrons, they weren't overjoyed about this assignment but they got right to work on it.  All results were sent to the pilots working in our office who sent them to the appropriate commanders.  From what I was told, they did quite well for guys that never did air to ground work.

 

This shot was taken during a airshow we had during a carnival for a local orphanage.

 

scan0052.jpg

Link to post
Share on other sites
On ‎11‎/‎1‎/‎2018 at 7:01 PM, Benner said:

came across this post on Twitter ..

https://twitter.com/MbKS15/status/821202414195904512

 

The video implies this was Desert Storm time frame.  At the beginning of the clip, you see a Saudi F-15C with conformal fuel tanks and 3 Mk84 bombs.

 

Anyone have an insight on F-15C in the air-to-ground role?

 

The F-15A/Cs carried bombs for a short time in the mid-80s.  At that time you could see Tyndall RTU F-15As with SUU-20s and Langley F-15Cs at Red Flag with CFTs and carrying MK-84s.  This was largely a result of Rapid Deployment Force requirements, where it was assumed F-15Cs would be the first in theatre, so they wanted them to have some air to ground capability.  The F-15A and C at that time had the same CCIP logic that the F-16 had and could drop some pretty accurate iron bombs.  Once the F-15E started entering the force the requirement became pointless and the commitment was dropped; although, it took quite a few years before the CCIP software went away.

 

Regards,

Murph

Link to post
Share on other sites

Hey gents,

big thanks for all the answers, I already asked here on ARC as we were discussing it with Ben - 

 Nice pic of ZZ with CFTs, I only have FF or IS birds ....

 

And what about As ? As it looks like the Israeli As are CFT capable. Later mod to make them capable ? And what about that Saudi birds ? They are 79-xxxx transferred from US stocks, do we know from which units and why they were sent with CFTs ? As Saudis had Tonkas for A2G I guess .....

 

 

Link to post
Share on other sites
On 11/5/2018 at 5:10 AM, BoeingDriver said:

Be aware fellas that those conformals on those light-greys are for the carriage of LAU-106’s.  Bombs cannot be carried on those CFT’s.  Only on Sta 2, 4, & 5. 

Hi, thanks, but looks like you are missing one station number. Or is it correct and both sides have three Stations ?

Thanks for clarification.

Link to post
Share on other sites
54 minutes ago, JakubJakepilot said:

Hi, thanks, but looks like you are missing one station number. Or is it correct and both sides have three Stations ?

Thanks for clarification.

Good catch!  I meant  sta’s 2, 5, & 8.  I looked funny to me too but didn’t realize it until you pointed it out.

Link to post
Share on other sites
4 minutes ago, BoeingDriver said:

Good catch!  I meant  sta’s 2, 5, & 8.  I looked funny to me too but didn’t realize it until you pointed it out.

So only 3 stations ? I am a bit confused, sorry. Is there a diagram ? There should be 4 stations with LAU-106s ? Correct ? Like in this pic ? So 3C, 4C, 6C, 7C ?

Screen_131215_135517-1.jpg

Edited by JakubJakepilot
Link to post
Share on other sites
1 hour ago, JakubJakepilot said:

So only 3 stations ? I am a bit confused, sorry. Is there a diagram ? There should be 4 stations with LAU-106s ? Correct ? Like in this pic ? So 3C, 4C, 6C, 7C ?

Screen_131215_135517-1.jpg

You missed my point...bombs cannot be carried on those CFT’s in that config.  My point was that bombs can only be carried on sta’s 2, 5, & 8.  LAU-106’s are for AIM’s.

 

Also that picture represents a Strike CFT.  It’s different from a light grey CFT.

 

Fun fact:  CFT’s were built by IAI.

Edited by BoeingDriver
Link to post
Share on other sites
1 hour ago, BoeingDriver said:

You missed my point...bombs cannot be carried on those CFT’s in that config.  My point was that bombs can only be carried on sta’s 2, 5, & 8.  LAU-106’s are for AIM’s.

 

Also that picture represents a Strike CFT.  It’s different from a light grey CFT.

 

Fun fact:  CFT’s were built by IAI.

Yeah, I know that the "fighter" CFT is different from the "bomber" CFT.  So, there should be 2 x 2 stations on those light grey CFTs, correct ? What are those station numbers, if any ? So stations 2, 5 and 8 are two main underwing and one centerline, correct ? And one other question - those light grey CFTs were built by IAI even for USAF birds ? I know they licenced them ... Sorry for the confusion....

Big thanks !

Link to post
Share on other sites

All CFT's have been built by IAI. They are the sole supplier of F-15 CFT's to Boeing. And yes, 2 and 8 are wing pylons. 5 is the Centerline. No bombs on the CFT's. the original designation for the CFT's was FAST packs...Fuel  And Sensor, Tactical. They were meant to carry fuel and sensors, were adapted to carry missiles, but no bombs. 

The USAF quickly dropped the "sensor" part of the FAST packs. 

The F-15E CFT is the same basic design/dimensions, but had the provisions to carry bombs from the start.

 

Aaron 

Link to post
Share on other sites

BIG thanks for all the answers 🙂 One more question: were Saudi F-15Cs ever updated that they have the tips of vertical stabs like USAF birds ? Or, when I see the big/small combo, it is one of the 24 transferred from USAF stocks in 1990 ? Thanks !

Link to post
Share on other sites
On ‎11‎/‎3‎/‎2018 at 1:47 AM, SebastianP said:

 

Hasegawa includes the CFT hardpoints in all of their 1/48 Eagle kits - they're on the C runner, with the fuel tanks, missiles and tail surfaces. 

 

 

ahh... so that's what those extra pieces are for in my Hasegawa 1:48 F-15C kit are for.  Thanks for the info.  too bad they didn't include the CFT in each kit 😞

Link to post
Share on other sites

Is it still the case that the only 1/48 option to source the "fighter" CFTs is with the early Hasegawa F-15E (the one in the euro-1 camo)?

 

Additionally, can anybody comment on the ability to fit those Hasegawa CFTs to a GWH F-15C?  I'm sure there are more particulars, but I'm thinking of building a Keflavik-based C if that is viable.

 

-Ryan

Link to post
Share on other sites
41 minutes ago, glorystomper said:

wouldn't it be easier to use a CFT from an F-15E from GWH for a GWH F-15C kit rather than one from a different maker?

It isn't that easy.  The F-15E CFT has a different hard point arrangement than those used on the air-to-air F-15C, or at least that's my understanding.  The F-15E CFT has (or had) 3 per side, and the CFTs used on the F-15Cs were set up with 2 per side for carrying A2A missiles instead of bombs.  The Hasegawa kit that I'm referring to was a model of the very early (demonstrator, basically) F-15E which was actually an F-15B with the A2A missile style CFTs installed.

 

-Ryan

Link to post
Share on other sites

true enough... i just figured the CFT from GWH would fit the F-15C better since it's pretty much the same kit and you would just have to modify the hard points, whereas with the hasegawa part having the proper hard points but possibly not the same fit since it's a different kit.

 

let me know how it goes, i want CFTs for my F-15C as well!

Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...