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Spangdahlem F-15C weapon loadout questions


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Hi all,

 

For starters: Best wishes to everybody for 2022!

 

Does anybody know if the F-15C/D's assigned to the 53rd FS at Spangdahlem from 1994-1999 ever used the AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles next to the AIM-7M Sparrow's?

Ik know that a F-15C accidently shot down a friendly UH-60 helicopter in Iraq with an AIM-120 in 1994, so at least some F-15's were able to carry AIM-120 missiles during the time that F-15's were stationed at Spang.

The question is: Were the 53FS F-15's also able to carry the AIM-120's?

And if this was the case, were AIM-120's ever used by the F-15's at Spang? 

 

Thanks for any reply.

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Yes they could (and did) carry both missile types at the same time.  This is a Langley jet from that timeframe; Spang would have carried the same load.

 

Regards,

Murph

F-15C Langley 27th AIM-7 and AIM-120 walkaround.jpg

Edited by Murph
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On 1/5/2022 at 12:01 AM, Murph said:

Yes they could (and did) carry both missile types at the same time.  This is a Langley jet from that time frame; Spang would have carried the same load.

 

Nice! I've never seen a picture with a mixed load of AIM-7's and AIM-120's before. This is a very interesting loadout together with the 3 droptanks.

This picture also answered my next question if AIM-120's could be loaded on the inner side of the wing pylons during that time period. Thanks! 

Edited by Susaschka
typo
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As Murph said they did. Even before moving to Spang, the 53rd FS flew Deny Flight CAP missions over Yugoslavia out of Aviano using a mixed loadout of 4 AIM-120B, 2 AIM-7M and 2 AIM-9M. Here’s a pic Link

So it is quite safe to assume the did use AIM-120s after moving to Spang.

 

HTH

Edited by Joerg
Typo
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4 hours ago, Susaschka said:

This picture also answered my next question if AIM-120's could beloaded on the inner side of the wing pylons during that time poriod. Thanks! 

 

The original mounting point for the AMRAAM under the wings was the inboard station on the wing pylon, but they eventually moved it to the outboard wing station due to the lack of space between the fuselage and wing pylon for the missile "jammer" when loading them on the inboard stations.  That problem is even worse for the F-15E due to the CFTs.  The AIM-9 is lifted and loaded by hand, so it's not an issue for that missile.

 

Regards,

Murph

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On 1/5/2022 at 7:21 PM, Joerg said:

As Murph said they did. Even before moving to Spang, the 53rd FS flew Deny Flight CAP missions over Yugoslavia out of Aviano using a mixed loadout of 4 AIM-120B, 2 AIM-7M and 2 AIM-9M. Here’s a pic Link

So it is quite safe to assume the did use AIM-120s after moving to Spang.

 

 HTH 

 

Thanks, this was exactly what I was looking for.

I guess I found my Spang F-15C loadout! 🙂

 

image.thumb.png.967969f9a7aab56a9095fe55570adcbd.png

Edited by Susaschka
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7 hours ago, Murph said:

 

The original mounting point for the AMRAAM under the wings was the inboard station on the wing pylon, but they eventually moved it to the outboard wing station due to the lack of space between the fuselage and wing pylon for the missile "jammer" when loading them on the inboard stations.  That problem is even worse for the F-15E due to the CFTs.  The AIM-9 is lifted and loaded by hand, so it's not an issue for that missile.

 

Regards,

Murph

Seems to have been solved, as the AIM-120 is regularly carried on both the inside and outside of the wing pylon these days, both for C's, D's and E's

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I have another related question: Did the F-15A/B/C/D's from the 32nd TFS/TFG based at Soesterberg also use the AIM-120's?

They left Soesterberg in 1994 while operating MSIP F-15A/B's so this should technically be possible, but I've never seen them loaded on Soesterberg F-15's.

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1 hour ago, Susaschka said:

I have another related question: Did the F-15A/B/C/D's from the 32nd TFS/TFG based at Soesterberg also use the AIM-120's?

They left Soesterberg in 1994 while operating MSIP F-15A/B's so this should technically be possible, but I've never seen them loaded on Soesterberg F-15's.

The 32FS flew F-15A/B, then F-15C/D then reverted to A/B's following Dessert Storm. Checked my stored reference shots and can't see that they flew with the AIM-120's, but that didn't mean it didn't happen. 
Honestly, I believe the AIM-120 was firstly employed on the F-15C/D, then later during the 90's the A/B's. So guessing that they didn't get this capability before loosing it's flying mission in 1994. 

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In late 1991 and throughout 1992 they began re-equipping from F-15C/D to F-15A/B, so theoretically the F-15C/Ds could have gotten them.

 

However you could be right, because during that time I often could be found at the fence of Soesterberg, but have never seen any F-15 loaded with live or captive AIM-120's

In all the shots that I can find in my collection of F-15C's in scramble configuration, they are quipped with 4 AIM-7F's and 4 AIM-9M/L's.

 

Anybody else any other thoughts?

Edited by Susaschka
typo
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On 1/6/2022 at 8:14 PM, Niels said:

I also think they never flew or carried the AIM-120's, only AIM-7/9 combo. 

 

It looks we are both partly wrong. 🙂

As can be seen in this picture taken in 1993 over Iraq, F-15A's from the 32FS did use the AIM-120 missiles during combat air patrol missions after the first Gulf War.

However, I don't think they ever used AIM-120's at Soesterberg though.

 

image.png.6d835966f3f39f01eae50b1b1d01c1e8.png

Edited by Susaschka
typo
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1 hour ago, Susaschka said:

 

It looks we are both wrong. 🙂

As can be seen in this picture taken in 1993 over Iraq, F-15C's from the 32FS did use the AIM-120 missiles during combat air patrol missions after the first Gulf War.

However, I don't think they ever used AIM-120's at Soesterberg though.

Nice find, but it is a F-15A MSIP, not C. Serial is 77-0100. In 1993 the 32nd FS had already converted to A-Models, as you stated yourself 😉

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15 minutes ago, Joerg said:

Nice find, but it is a F-15A MSIP, not C. Serial is 77-0100. In 1993 the 32nd FS had already converted to A-Models, as you stated yourself 😉

 

You're right, post edited. 🙂

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On 1/8/2022 at 4:05 AM, Joerg said:

In 1993 the 32nd FS had already converted to A-Models, as you stated yourself 😉

 

They eventually received Holloman jets.

 

Regards,

Murph

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  • 4 months later...
On 1/6/2022 at 6:57 AM, Susaschka said:

 

Thanks, this was exactly what I was looking for.

I guess I found my Spang F-15C loadout! 🙂

 

image.thumb.png.967969f9a7aab56a9095fe55570adcbd.png

I know I'm super late. But isnt that an AIM-120 on the fuselage aft station? On the left side I believe? With AIM-7 on the forward left fuselage station? There is radome visible under the right Sparrow.

Edit: I suppose thats what Joerg meant by 4 Aim120's, 2 AIM7's and 2 AIM9's

Edited by Thadeus
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On 5/27/2022 at 10:50 PM, Thadeus said:

I know I'm super late. But isnt that an AIM-120 on the fuselage aft station? On the left side I believe? With AIM-7 on the forward left fuselage station? There is radome visible under the right Sparrow.

Edit: I suppose thats what Joerg meant by 4 Aim120's, 2 AIM7's and 2 AIM9's

 

Those are indeed AIM-120's loaded on the aft fuselage stations and inner wingstations.

Only thing left for me to find out is if the F-15C's at Spang were the regular unmodified ones or the MSIP versions.

Edited by Susaschka
typo
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The only external feature of MSIP that I know of are 2 small bumps on top and bottom of the nose, just aft of the radome line. Here is 80-0004 a Spangdahlem F-15C that has these bumps:

0142262.jpg

 

Same aircraft when operated earlier at Bitburg. Note the absence of these antennas:

0147941.jpg

Edited by Nebbor
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On the wing pylon, with an AIM-120 and Aim-9, I have seen the 120 go inside and 9 outside and also vice versa. Is that a totally random choice, do different units have their own preferences, is it a C v.s. E thing, or generally, how is all that determined? 

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On 1/5/2022 at 11:28 PM, Murph said:

 

The original mounting point for the AMRAAM under the wings was the inboard station on the wing pylon, but they eventually moved it to the outboard wing station due to the lack of space between the fuselage and wing pylon for the missile "jammer" when loading them on the inboard stations.  That problem is even worse for the F-15E due to the CFTs.  The AIM-9 is lifted and loaded by hand, so it's not an issue for that missile.

 

Regards,

Murph

 

Answer to your question Janissary

Edited by Nebbor
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