the most capable f-15

Well, that thing certainly doesn't look as nice as the the Su-37.

What is with all the countering and equivalents? Why does each nation try to develop weapons similiar to those of their rivals? Why doesn't any one nation just step out of the box, and design something truly innovative and original?

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I'd never seen or heard of the F-15 ACTIVE until I saw it here...Only one was produced. I don't think the design was developed for production. The first flight was in 1996. Check the pic on the link and the position of those canards. The canards are off of a F-18. The F-15 ACTIVE It was developed to study "advanced thrust vectoring technology, with an emphasizes on integration into the primary flight control system for both military and civillian aircraft". The program ended in 1998. The aircraft was then placed on static display. There was a similar model F-18 built called an F-18 High-Angle-of-Attack Vehicle (HARV).

ACTIVE stands for "Advanced Control Technology for Integrated Vehicles"



""ACTIVE is a joint program between Dryden, the Air Force Flight Dynamics Laboratory, Pratt and Whitney and the McDonnell Aircraft division of McDonnell-Douglas Aerospace. It seeks to improve performance of both commercial and military aircraft by integrating a variety of advanced propulsion, aerodynamic and control system technologies""



NASA’s F-15 ACTIVE (Advanced Control Technology for Integrated Vehicles) program, in cooperation with Boeing, McDonnell Douglas Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, and the USAF’s Wright Laboratory, aimed to advanced thrust vectoring technology, with an emphasizes on integration into the primary flight control system.

The ACTIVE program began in the early 90’s with the delivery of the USAF’s F-15 (serial 71-0290, NASA tail number 837), which was also the original TF-15A (later named F-15B) and the aircraft used in NASA’s F-15 S/MTD (Short Take Off and Landing Maneuverability Technology Demonstrator) program. This aircraft featured canard foreplanes, installed during the S/MTD program, which increased both lift and three dimensional maneuverability; these canards were actually modified F-18 tailplanes. Having also been an avionics test bed for the F-15E Strike Eagle, this aircraft featured an F-15E glass cockpit. The engines used were F100-PW-229 IPE rated at 29,000lbs, featuring Improved Digital Electronic Engine Controllers (IDDEC) and Pitch Yaw Balance Beam Nozzles (P/YBBN) which provided 20 degrees of three dimensional thrust vectoring.

The F-15 ACTIVE’s first flight took place in February, 1996, and was shortly followed by the first in-flight vectoring. In April and May of ’96 the ACTIVE displayed supersonic pitch and yaw vectoring, respectively. The first ever Mach 2.0 vectoring took place in September, 1996. The aircraft was then featured as a static display at several air shows until the completion of it’s phase within the ACTIVE program in August of 1998

Here's a recent article on the singapore version, which will be the most advanced version to date of any F-15.



Singapore inks deal for 12 F-15SGs

Boeing is to supply Singapore with 12 F-15SG fighters in 2008 and 2009 under a contract finalised on 12 December. The deal, of undisclosed value, also includes an option to acquire eight further aircraft. The first F-15SG delivery to Singapore will follow the handover of the last of South Korea’s 40 F-15Ks in August 2008.

Singapore’s defence ministry has refused to reveal the avionics and weapons configuration agreed for the aircraft, other than to say it will be unique. Boeing says it will feature “the most technologically advanced avionics and weapons systems available†for the F-15.

However, the USA has already approved the export to Singapore of Raytheon’s AIM-120 AMRAAM and AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missles, Joint Stand-Off Weapon and APG-63(V)3 active electronically scanned array radar. Sources suggest the aircraft could also have an Israeli-sourced electronic warfare suite.

@ Popeye,

I have to disagree with you about the US selling more advanced versions of an aircraft to foreign customers. There are cases when very close, trusted allies
are sold more advanced versions of an aircraft than what the USAF currently operates. The F-15K is an example and the F-15SG will have newer avionics and uprated enignes when compared to the USAF's E models. Another example is the sale of AESA equipped F-16 Block 60's to UAE. The highest Block standard in USAF inventory is Block 52, which aren't AESA radar equipped to my knowledge. Now, on the other hand, I doubt the US will be selling F-22s to any other country ever, and supposedly the export versions of the F-35, when in production, will be derated in terms of stealth, although I am not sure how true this is. So in the end, of course the US keeps its most advanced hardware to itself.

I find that doubtful. F-35 is, after all, a multinational project. If you give anything less than the US standard production model to the level 1 partners like UK and Australia, you'll get quite a bit of political backlash, not to mention ending all prospect of future cooperations.

i dont see how you can really reduce the stealth, since that requires changing the design. and the u.s already promised all participants the apg-81 radar. down grading the fighter is hard, but for the u.s ot upgrade their own f-35 to a higfher level above the rest would not be so hard.

it's actually pretty easy to downgrade, for example, use less expensive material. Or, downgrade the engine. Or you can just go up and kick the airframe a couple of times.

i am sure if you reduce the quality, the price goes down too. judging by the development cost, i find it hard to believe that the USA can afford to do that. only those that request for cheaper variant will get less quality, i think that is how it works.

usually the standard configuration doesn't have the best gear anyway as it is too expensive even for USAF to buy all it planes the best equipment, those parts are reserved as "upgrade" options kept within their own borders and/or offer to selected countries.

is my guess correct?

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i don't think the USAF desires to field the most capable F-15 too much. afterall, it has better fighter that i think will be receiving their best equipment. however, i am sure they would have a few 'armed to the teeth' as tactical demostrator to see how far the F15 airframe can go, those might has the best capablity.

for production type, i would support F15SG since i am in RSAF (not fighter sqn tho) but they don't exist yet, i guess the F15T would be the best right now. there is always some concern when buying hardware, issues like whether will we receive them with all the equipment we desire, maintance support and access to ammunition. it is a very political process too as the world is watching the purchases. (France was clearly disappointed with our selection of F15, but our process was a fair one, really! )

MIGleader said:

f-15 ACTIVE, woth canards and tvc. american equivalent of su-37. of course, addding tvc engines would require airframe change, which would require more production f-15s. thats why the f-22 is comming out.those canards are actually an f-18s tail surfaces.

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How bout this?