Credit
MSgt Christopher Boitz · Public domain · Resized · Public domain · Source ↗ · Modified
FORCETALLY
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At a glance
Measured figures
AC-130 · Length
Single source97 ft 9 in (29.79 m)[source]
F-15E · Length
Single sourceConfiguration
| Specification | Lockheed AC-130 | McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Ground-attack aircraft and close air support gunship for SOF teams[source] | Multirole strike fighter[source] |
| National origin | United States[source] | United States[source] |
| Manufacturer | Lockheed Martin Boeing[source] | McDonnell Douglas (1985–1997) Boeing Defense, Space & Security (1997–2017)[source] |
| Status | In service (AC-130J)[source] |
63 ft 9.6 in (19.446 m)[source]
Maximum take-off; AC-130 · Max takeoff weight
Single source155,000 lb (70,307 kg)[source]
AC-130 · Officers: 4 (Two Pilots, Two Combat Systems Officers) Enlisted: 3 (Special Mission Aviators)
Single source7 Officers: 4 (Two Pilots, Two Combat Systems Officers) Enlisted: 3 (Special Mission Aviators)[source]
F-15E · pilot and weapon systems officer
Single source2 (pilot and weapon systems officer )[source]
Maximum; AC-130 · Maximum speed
Single source362 kn (416 mph, 669 km/h)[source]
Maximum; F-15E · at low altitude
Single sourceMaximum; F-15E · Mach 2.5 at high altitude Mach 1.2
Single sourceMach 2.5, 1,650 mph (2,655 km/h) at high altitude Mach 1.2, 800 kn (921 mph; 1,482 km/h) at low altitude[source]
Ferry; F-15E · with conformal fuel tanks and three external fuel tanks
Single source2,100 nmi (2,400 mi, 3,900 km) with conformal fuel tanks and three external fuel tanks[source]
F-15E · air interdiction
Single source687 nmi (791 mi, 1,272 km) air interdiction[source]
AC-130 · 4 × Allison T56 -A-15 turboprop engine, 4,300 shp ( ) each (AC-130U
Single source4 × Allison T56 -A-15 turboprop engine, 4,300 shp (3,200 kW) each (AC-130U)[source]
F-15E · ); 29,160 lb (
Single sourceF-15E · 2 × Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-220 afterburning turbofan thrust each dry
Single sourceF-15E · ) with afterburner each
Single sourceF-15E · with afterburner ( or 2 × F100-PW-229 , thrust: 17,800 lb dry (
Single source2 × Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-220 afterburning turbofan , 14,590 lbf (64.9 kN) thrust each dry, 23,770 lbf (105.7 kN) with afterburner ( or 2 × F100-PW-229 , thrust: 17,800 lb dry (79 kN); 29,160 lb (129.7 kN) with afterburner each)[source]
F-15E · 50,000 ft/min ( ) +
Single source50,000 ft/min (250 m/s) +[source]
Bars compare reported quantities only. A larger figure does not make a system better; configurations and test conditions differ.
In service[source] |
| Primary user | United States Air Force[source] | — |
|---|
| Introduction date | AC-130A: 1968 AC-130H: 1969 AC-130U: 1995 AC-130W: 2012 AC-130J: 2017[source] | 1988 30 September 1989 ( IOC )[source] |
|---|
| First flight | AC-130A: 1967[source] | 11 December 1986 ( 1986-12-11 )[source] |
|---|
| Retired | AC-130A: 1995 AC-130H: 2015 AC-130U: 2020 AC-130W: 2022[source] | — |
|---|
| Developed from | Lockheed C-130 Hercules Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules[source] | McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle[source] |
|---|
| Officers | 4 (Two Pilots, Two Combat Systems Officers)[source] | — |
|---|
| Enlisted | 3 (Special Mission Aviators)[source] | — |
|---|
| Propellers | 6-bladed Dowty R391 featuring ARA-D/A airfoils[source] | — |
|---|
| Navigation systems | Teledyne Ryan (now part of Northrop Grumman ) AN/APN-218 radar – doppler navigation radar[source] | — |
|---|
| Previously installed systems | AN/APN-59 radar – search and weather radar[source] | — |
|---|
| Mission systems | Raytheon AN/APQ-180 multimode attack radar – enhanced version of AN/APG-70 radar (used on F-15E Strike Eagle ) incorporating several enhanced air-to-ground modes such as fixed target track, ground moving target indication and track, projectile impact point position, beacon track, and a weather detection Raytheon AN/AAQ-26 IDS – LWIR FLIR (mounted on port side of the nose landing gear door) Lockheed Martin AN/AAQ-39 Gunship Multispectral Sensor System (GMS2) – EO/IR fire control system consists of mid-wave infrared (MWIR) FLIR, two Image-Intensified Television (I2TV) cameras ( CCD-TV ), laser target designator/rangefinder with eyesafe mode (1064 and 1570 nm dual mode laser emitter), and near-infrared (NIR) laser pointer/marker (860 nm laser emitter) (mounted under the nose of port landing gear sponson)[source] | — |
|---|
| Countermeasures | Raytheon AN/ALR-69 – digital Radar warning receiver (RWR) L-3 Communications AN/AAR-44 – UV-based Missile Approach Warning System (MAWS) ITT Exelis AN/ALQ-172 – Digital radio frequency memory (DRFM) jammer-based Electronic countermeasure (ECM) incorporating integrated Electronic Warfare (EW) self-protection function of detection, processing, warning, prioritization, jamming, and threat display BAE Systems AN/ALQ-196 Low-Band Jammer (LBJ) – low frequency DRFM jammer-based ECM Northrop Grumman AN/AAQ-24 Nemesis – laser-based Directional Infrared Counter Measures (DIRCM) (mounted on the port and starboard rear fuselage) BAE Systems AN/ALE-47 Countermeasure Dispensing System (CMDS) – chaff/flare dispenser[source] | Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems AN/ALQ-131 electronic countermeasures pod Hazeltine AN/APX-76 or Raytheon AN/APX-119 Identify Friend/Foe (IFF) interrogator Magnavox AN/ALQ-128 Electronic Warfare Warning Set (EWWS) – part of Tactical Electronic Warfare Systems (TEWS) Loral AN/ALR-56 Radar warning receivers (RWR) – part of TEWS Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems ALQ-135 Internal Countermeasures System (ICS) – part of TEWS Marconi AN/ALE-45 Chaff / Flares dispenser system – part of TEWS BAE Systems AN/ALQ-250 Eagle Passive Active Warning Survivability System (EPAWSS) - combined electronic warfare / electronic countermeasures system[source] |
|---|
| Primary users | — | United States Air Force Royal Saudi Air Force Israeli Air Force Republic of Korea Air Force For other users, see Operators[source] |
|---|
| Number built | — | 435 (F-15E/I/S/K/SG)[source] |
|---|
| Manufactured | — | 1985–2017[source] |
|---|
| Variant | — | Boeing F-15SE Silent Eagle[source] |
|---|
| Developed into | — | Boeing F-15EX Eagle II[source] |
|---|
| Fuel capacity | — | 12,915 lb (5,858 kg) internal, 22,267 lb (10,100 kg) with CFTs, 34,162 lb (15,496 kg) with CFTs and 3× 600-gallon (2,270 L) external fuel tanks[source] |
|---|
| Guns | — | 1× 20 mm (0.787 in) M61A1 Vulcan 6-barreled rotary cannon , 500 rounds of either M-56 or PGU-28 ammunition[source] |
|---|
| Hardpoints | — | 4 wing pylons, fuselage pylons, bomb racks on CFTs with a capacity of 23,000 lb (10,400 kg) of external fuel and ordnance[source] |
|---|
| Airfoil | — | root: NACA 64A006.6 ; tip: NACA 64A203[source] |
|---|
| g limits | — | + 9[source] |
|---|
| Thrust/weight | — | 0.93[source] |
|---|
| Missiles | — | Air-to-air missiles : 4× AIM-7 Sparrow 4× AIM-9 Sidewinder or IRIS-T (S variant of the Saudi Air Force ) 8× AIM-120 AMRAAM Air-to-surface missiles : 6× AGM-65 Maverick 2× AGM-84 Harpoon 2× AGM-84H/K SLAM-ER 2x AGM-130 AGM-154 JSOW AGM-158 JASSM Joint Strike Missile (to be integrated) Taurus KEPD 350 (integrated on South Korean Air Force F-15Ks)[source] |
|---|
| Bombs | — | Mark 82 bomb Mark 84 bomb GBU-15 GBU-10 Paveway II GBU-12 Paveway II GBU-24 Paveway III GBU-27 Paveway III GBU-28 (Bunker buster) GBU-31 or GBU-38 {8 GBU-31s or 16 GBU-38s} (JDAM) GBU-54 Laser JDAM (LJDAM) GBU-39 Small Diameter Bomb (SDB) B61 nuclear bomb CBU-87 or CBU-103 (CEM) CBU-89 or CBU-104 (GATOR) KGGB (integrated on South Korean Air Force F-15Ks) CBU-97 or CBU-105 (SFW) CBU-107 Passive Attack Weapon BLU-107 Durandal[source] |
|---|
| Others | — | up to 3× 600 US gallons (2,300 L ) external drop tanks for ferry flight or extended range/loitering time 3 x 7-round (21) APKWS under each wing[source] |
|---|
| Radar | — | Raytheon AN/APG-70 or AN/APG-82 AN/ASQ-236 Radar Pod[source] |
|---|
| Targeting pods | — | AN/AAQ-14 LANTIRN or Lockheed Martin Sniper XR or AN/AAQ-28(V) Litening[source] |
|---|