F-15E loadout advice

[Countess Isolde]

Hi everyone,

I'm somewhat of a novice modeller whose dad (with 50 years of experience in the hobby so I did get off to a good start advice wise) got her into making planes last year. I've ended up embarking on a quest of making every plane I fly in DCS, and I am working on an F-15E in 1:72 now.

But I do want realism in my model, and I'm unsure what sort of weapons to equip my plane with. The stuff that came in the kit doesn't really fit the period I want to model (2010-present, heavy smart weapons load), so I'm buying some aftermarket stuff.

I am aware of the loadout restrictions (thanks, DCS players for helping here) so I am aware of the limitations. But at the same time I want to exhibit the F-15E's "bomb truck" reputation with the finished model.

Here's what I was thinking to start with:

    R wing                       R CFT                   Center                     L CFT                          L wing
120C    9M                   GBU-31 x2                  Fuel               GBU-12 x 4                    9M    120C
 GBU-39 x 4                                                                                                                   GBU-39 x4

But people I've asked said that the SDB is almost never carried in mixed loadouts and never observed on the wings, so I'm unsure where to go from here.

What I want is a JDAM-heavy strike load that's still plausible. People also said that the wing mounts are almost never used for air-to-ground ordnance, but if they are usable, I think it would be visually striking to put something there.
 

[Glynn Jacobs]

Hello Countess,

 

There is/was an F-15E site that had quite a few graphically-depicted bomb loads but I don't remember where it is.

 

If you do a search on "F-15E bomb loads", you might come up with some interesting information.

 

Good Luck,

 

WARDOG

Edited February 15, 2023 by Glynn Jacobs
Corrections

[Finn]

Here is one with 7 2000lb JDAMs:

 

 

Jari

 

[blakeh1]

I had built the Hasegawa kit a while back and was looking for loadouts.

 

I came across this https://www.dstorm.eu/pages/loadout/f-15e.html

 

And I forget where I came across these, but here are a few graphical ones I found

 

[Niels]

16 hours ago, Countess Isolde said:

Here's what I was thinking to start with:

    R wing                       R CFT                   Center                     L CFT                          L wing
120C    9M                   GBU-31 x2                  Fuel               GBU-12 x 4                    9M    120C
 GBU-39 x 4                                                                                                                   GBU-39 x4

 

Put the fuel tanks on the wings and GBU-39 on centerline, and you have a real life loadout as carried during ops over Syria. Photos on www.af.mil to support this loadout. Alternatively substitute the GBU-31 for GBU-38/54's. 

 

This one is straight from the USAF central command FB page today, showing one of the currently deployed F-15E's from 389FS
Facebook

 

Edited February 15, 2023 by Niels

[ElectroSoldier]

I always liked the Scud hunter loadout.
Looks kinda strange having a Strike Eagle without the LANTIRN targetting pod.

[Finn]

How about some simple iron bombs:

 

 

they were for an exercise in the sand but it still carried live missiles.

 

Jari

[Countess Isolde]

 

On 2/15/2023 at 5:54 PM, Niels said:

Put the fuel tanks on the wings and GBU-39 on centerline, and you have a real life loadout as carried during ops over Syria. Photos on www.af.mil to support this loadout. Alternatively substitute the GBU-31 for GBU-38/54's. 

 

This one is straight from the USAF central command FB page today, showing one of the currently deployed F-15E's from 389FS
Facebook

 

Do you have a way I can find a picture of that exact loadout? Just to be sure?

 

Thanks for the ideas everyone. If my JDAM+SDB loadout is real (admittedly with SDBs on centerline) I'll use that I think.

Model won't be finished until the weather's warm enough to use my spray on varnish, but I at least know what I'll be doing now!

[Finn]

Here is one with SDB and GBU-38s, no reason why you couldn't add a GBU-31 on the C/L:

 

 

Jari

[bdt13]

I believe this picture shows the SDBs on the centerline. It is from OIR in 2016.