mixelflick wrote:Wouldn't it depend (F-15C vs E) on the mission?
IMO no, not much. I'll explain below.
mixelflick wrote:If it was me, I'd want to be in an F-15C. It has the best radar (assuming the latest, greatest AESA), superior acceleration and maneuverability to the E too.
Since when does the F-15C has a better and AESA radar? The F-15E also carries an AESA radar, the APG-82 which according to wikipedia:
The AN/APG-82(V)1 combines the processor of the APG-79 used on the Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet with the antenna of the APG-63(V)3 AESA from the F-15C for the F-15E.[6] The new radar also includes a new cooling system and Radio Frequency Tunable Filters (RFTF). RFTF is designed to enable the radar and the electronic warfare hardware (jamming) to operate simultaneously without degrading each other.[7] The new radar is currently being installed in the F-15E under the Radar Modernization Program (RMP).[8] In 2009, the proposed APG-63(V)4 radar was designated APG-82(V)1.[9]
So it's a radar that combines the (much) more modern APG-79 processor with the antenna of the most advanced F-15C AESA radar (APG-63(V)3). So I would say that in terms of (AESA) radar, the F-15E should be more advanced than the F-15C, not otherwise.
The F-15E also has more powerful engines than the F-15C which should offset some agility disadvantage.
But and while the FAST CFTs somehow reduces the F-15E's agility, it gives something IMO much more important than "extra agility" which is having a (much) better range. This is an extremely important feature, even for Air-to-Air missions.
mixelflick wrote:But it's infinitely more capable vs. the aerial threat arrayed against it. Not sure about SAM's, but the E probably has the defensive countermeasures edge. I dunno.
Yes, the F-15E has a much better Electronic Defensive Suite (DEWS) which of course doesn't only give it an edge (compared to the F-15C) against SAM's but also against enemy fighter aircraft.
The F-15E can carry FLIR/EO pods which helps identifying ("VID") potentially hostile aircraft at long ranges.
The F-15E carries two crewmen which helps a lot when dealing with lots of info (remember the F-15 doesn't have that sensor fusion of the F-35, so a second crewman is extremely important here).
With all of this combined with all that was mentioned before, I fail to realize in how or in where the F-15C can be any better than the F-15E against enemy aircraft, apart from having a potentially slightly better agility (if any that is).
mixelflick wrote:Insofar as foreign customers, I think the choice of F-15SA, Quatar, Singapore etc is due to already having superior air superiority platforms. The Saudi's with their Typhoons, Quatar will also be flying Typhoons and Singapore with their SU-30MKM's. The Beagle derivatives are clearly there to be bomb trucks. If those countries didn't have their Typhoons, Flankers etc... things would probably be different.
About customers and all, all I have to say is that the F-15C was manufactured from 1979 to 1985, while the Japanese which are the only country that operates F-15's but doesn't operate the F-15E Strike Eagle, manufactured their F-15J's from 1981 to 1997 (and locally so). As a comparison, the US F-15E Strike Eagles were manufactured from 1985 to 2001 while in other countries the F-15E production continued post-2001 and if I'm not mistaken continues even today.
So from what I can see, no F-15C's (or other single seat Eagles) have been manufactured in the XXI century - Only F-15E's. IMO, this says it all.
“Active stealth” is what the ignorant nay sayers call ECM and pretend like it’s new.