The Mudhen Returns To Mideast

Historical Background

The F-X fighter programme which resulted in the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle was specifically tailored for air superiority mission with little consideration for air to ground missions (hence the phrase 'not a pound for air to ground'). The opposition by the F-15 Special Project Office in The Pentagon caused McDonnell Douglas to quietly work on the interdiction version of the Eagle envisioning it as a replacement for the F-111, the (then) remaining Phantoms and to augment existing Eagles. In 1978, the USAF initiated the Tactical All-Weather Requirement Study (TAWRS) which, amomng others, looked at McDonnell Douglas's proposal. The study recommended that the Eagle as the USAF's future strike platform and in 1979, McDonnell Douglas and Hughes teamed up to develop the F-15's air-to-ground capabilities. An F-15B, serial number 71-0291 was modified to act as a demonstrator and was first displayed at the Farnborough Air Show in 1980.

In March 1981, the USAF announced the Enhanced Tactical Fighter (later renamed Dual-Role Fighter) programme to procure a replacement for the F-111. The programme envisioned an aircraft capable of flying deep air interdiction missions without additional electronic support and fighter escort. McDonnell Douglas submitted its now-named F-15E while General Dynamics submitted the F-16XL. After a lengthy evaluation programme, the F-15E was chosen as the winner on 24 February 1984. Key factors in the selection of the F-15E over the F-16XL include lower development costs, belief that the F-15E had future growth potential and twin-engine redundancy. The first officially-completed F-15E was first flown on 31 March 1987 and the first production aircraft was delivered to the 405th Tactical Training Wing at Luke AFB, Arizona in April 1988. The USAF contracted for a total of 400 F-15Es (later revised to 392).

The F-15E Strike Eagle, although optimized for air-to-ground missions, retains the full air-to-air combat capabilities of the original Eagle. Although the prototype was basically a modified F-15B, production F-15Es have significant structural changes and using much more powerful engines (originally Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-220 rated at 105.7 kN with afterburner, later the Dash 229 version rated at129.7 kN with afterburner). The rear cockpit position is 'missionised' to allow the WSO to work the air-to-ground avionics (while still having flight controls, allowing the WSO to pilot the aircraft should it become necessary). Conformal Fuel Tanks (CFTs), containing 2,800 liters of fuel (in addition to the original  internal tankage) on either sides of the fuselage gave the Strike Eagle its long legs at a slight cost in drag and performance. The APG-70 radar system incorporates Doppler Beam Sharpening, Mapping and Synthetic Aperture Radar modes to enhance operational capabilities. One feature of the system is that it can 'freeze' the air-to-ground radar map and then goes back to air-to-air mode to check for aerial threats. In addition, the WSO is able to designate ground targets while the pilot engages aerial targets. The APG-70 was replaced by the APG-82 AESA radar beginning in 2014.

The F-15E carries most air-to-ground weaponry in the USAF inventory, from 'dumb' Mk 80 series bombs to precision strike JDAMs. Since it inherits the original Eagle's counter-air capabilities, they regularly carry air-to-air missiles and trained for counter-air missions. Precision delivery of weapons by day or at night and in poor weather was made possible by the use of LANTIRN pods mounted externally. The targeting pod (AN/AAQ-14, AN/AAQ-28 LITENING or AN/AAQ-33 Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod) contains a laser designator that can mark an enemy's position from as far away as 16 kilometers. The AN/AAQ-13 navigation pod  contains a terrain-following radar to allow the aircraft to fly safely at very low altitude and it even allows a hands-off terrain-following capability. The pod also contains a FLIR for night or low-visibility flight conditions. Tactical Electronic Warfare System (TEWS) integrates all the countermeasures available (RWR, chaff, flare, radar jammer). An AN/ALQ-131 ECM pod can be carried if required.

The F-15E, dubbed Strike Eagle (or more popularly, the Beagle ('bomb eagle') or Mud Hen) achieved initial operational capability on 30 September 1989 with the 336th Tactical Fighter Squadron of the 4th Tactical Fighter Wing at Seymour-Johnson AFB, North Carolina. The Strike Eagles were first deployed for combat during Operation Desert Storm conducting diverse targets, from mobile Scud missile launchers to fortified bunkers. They were also involved in 'tank plinking' attack missions prior to the start of the Coalition's ground offensive. An air-to-air 'kill' was scored on 14 February 1991, when an F-15E hit a flying/hovering Mil Mi-24 with a GBU-10 laser-guided bomb. USAF F-15Es continue to be deployed in various operations such as during Operations Northern & Southern Watch, Operation Deny Flight, Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, Operation Odyssey Dawn and Operation Inherent Resolve.

The Strike Eagle also enjoyed export success with variants being sold to Israel (F-15I Ra'am), South Korea (F-15K Slam Eagle), Saudi Arabia (F-15S/SA) , Singapore (F-15SG) and Qatar (F-15QA). Proposed variants include F-15SE Silent Eagle incorporating internal weapons carriage and use of radar-absorbent materials. Israel and Saudi Arabia have also used their Beagles in combat.

The Kit

Despite being in service since 1989, the F-15E received a rather cool attention from model kit companies. The 1/48 fraternity is quite well served with a number of kits depicting the E version but the 1/72 community was less so with the prototype-feature kit from Hasegawa (who then, true their policy, re-released it a number of times). The same goes with Airfix, Academy and Italeri. In 2011, Fujimi came up with a new-tool Beagle. While having all the 'E' features, it unfortunately suffered by being overscale, something around 1/66 rather than 1/72. In 2012, Hasegawa finally decided to do a new-tool F-15E in 1/72 scale. And now we have a relative newcomer, Great Wall Hobbies with their rendition and I think this kit is a worthy rival to the Hasegawa kit. First impression is good with parts displaying crisp recessed lines and nice (for 1/72 and in plastic) raised details. Unlike Hasegawa the GWH offering has a more contemporary ordnance to be hung beneath the model. Decals provide markings for three aircraft:

1. 87-0173 'Shark Mouth', 391st Fighter Squadron 'Bold Tigers', 366th Fighter Wing, Mountain Home AFB, 2002

2. 87-0169 'Tiger Lead', 391st Fighter Squadron 'Bold Tigers', 366th Fighter Wing, Mountain Home AFB, 2002

3. 89-0488 ' 336th Fighter Squadron 'Rocketeers', 4th Fighter Wing, Al-Udeid AB, Qatar 2003.

Construction

As usual with aircraft kits, construction started at the cockpit. The seats while having better details than kit-supplied parts of yore, still cannot compete against resin aftermarket ones. nevertheless I still used them for this build.  The cockpit features nice raised details, which although not mentioned, must be sanded off if one wants to use the decals for the instrument panels. I just applied them over the riased details. Also, GWH forgot to mention in their instructions about two further decals that needed to be placed for the WSO's office  And, as per my usual style, the parts for the cockpit were painted while still on their sprues. After the cockpit has been compeleted, the forward fuselage halves were closed together. While the forward bulkhead was used, I left off the radar parts as they won't be visible anyway. Modelling clay was then filled into the nose cavity to act as ballast, just in case. The intake tunnels have the vanes inside it but there are no actual locating holes and I opted not to add them.

GWH thoughtfully include the steps to build the model in flying pose so take note of the relevant parts to build the model with its wheels down. The main upper fuselage was assembled and was the attached to the lower fuselage/FAST pack. However GWH did not indicate holes to be drilled for the pylons (although I should have known better). I managed to pry back the wings and drilled the holes underneath the wings but it was too late for the fuselage bottom. The forward fuselage was the jointed to the main fuselage. The fairing behind the cockpit was then added. and, almost predictably, resulted in a number of seams. The exhausts were left off at this time. The fin tips are needlessly separate. The tangential pylons are butt-jointed to the sides - there are engraved marks to help you. Funnily enough, the instructions ask you to drill holes for them. Thankfully, holes have already been pre-drilled for the long pylons. The tabs to mount ordnance were however removed from most of the  pylons.

Painting and Decalling

While fighter Eagles were painted two-tone greys, the 'Bomb Eagle' was painted a uniform dark grey, specifically, FS 36118 Gunship Grey. The paint used was Vallejo AIr 71.097. The metallic end of the fuselage was painted Tamiya TS-30 Silver Leaf with certain parts were painted Mr. Color Super Titanium or Super Iron 2. The exhaust petals were painted Gunze Burnt Iron while the insides were painted Flat White. The ordnance were painted Olive Drab although somewhat bafflingly GWH suggested Gunship grey for the GBU-15. After the paint has dried, it was time for the decals. My selection is somewhat affected by the rather arbitrary weapons load selection suggested by GWH, which I think was influenced by the now-defunct F15e.info website. As I wanted to have a rather 'heavy' load, the third option was taken. The decals looked rather thick and several stencil decals shared the same carrying film. While somewhat shortening the decalling proces in theory, one might end up with large patches of silvering. I end up cutting up most of them into separate pieces, leaving just the decals for some 'No Step' stencils and the group on both sides of the cockpit.

Another issue with decals is concerned with the coloured strip at the top of the fins. GWH printed them in a way that they are all of the same orientation. Two of the four need to be printed facing the same side with the other two on the decal sheet. The way they are actually printed, the decals for the port fin inner right fin outer could not be used and I had to paint the relevant strips.  The decals were then bedded down with an application of Mr. Mark Softer. The panel lines between the control surfaces and the body were enhanced using AK Interactive Paneliner while the rst of the panel lines were slightly enhanced using a pencil. The inside of the exhausts were then weathered using Tamiya Modeling Master Soot.

Finishing

I started by assembling the landing gears. As usual in 1/72 and with models of modern planes, they are quite fiddly during assembly. After  being painted and weathered, they were attached to the model. Fit is quite tight and I ended up having a splayed main landing gears. After some trimming, they are now straight, perpendicular to the fuselage. Also, GWH moulded the main wheel tyres 'weighted'. However the instructions mis-pair the wheel halves and you might end up having a flat spot at the top of on one half of the wheel. Once the model stands on its legs, I added the weapons, pods and external tanks. I however use the Sidewinders and an AMRAAM from Hasegawa's US Aircraft Weapon Set V. The GBU-15 can easily be converted into AGM-130 simply by using adding part (which was marked as 'not used' in the instructions. If you still want have the weapon as a GBU-15, fill the holes at the bottom of the bomb. Next up is the canopy. I forgot to mention that there is a gap between the windscreen and the fuselage which needed filling. There was no problem encountered when fitting the canopy to the fuselage but by this time you realise that the tranparencies are pretty thick, especially when the canopy is in the open position. Finally the blade aerials were fitted and the build is finished.

Conclusion

The kit itself does not have any deal-breaker or any noticeable shortcomings and is a good alternative to the Hasegawa kit. The instructions however is a different matter and suffer from a number of mistakes. It probably wouldn't faze seasoned modellers but would probably cause some problems to newcomers to the hobby. Also the GWH kit, like the Hasegawa kit, only provide markings and ordnance and sensor options appropriate to the Operation Enduring Freedom / Operation Iraqi Freedom era (like clearly stated in the kit's sub-title). Aftermarket stuff were needed to to display the model in a more contemporary setting.

Eagle Fly Free

Historical Background

In 1967, the Soviet Union unveiled the MiG-25 at the Demodedovo airfield near Moscow. Although the truth was not known at the time, the Foxbat appeared similar to the ongoing F-X fighter design studies by the USAF: an aircraft with high speed and a large wing offering high manuverability. It spread concern in the Department of Defense that the United States is being outclassed. The F-X programme was continued but with improvements to counter the MiG-25. The USAF HQ and the Tactical Air Command called for a multi-purpose aircraft, like the F-4 Phantom while TAC commander, General Gabriel P. Disosway and USAF Chief Of Staff General Bruce K. Holloway preferred an air superiority fighter. During the same period, the US Navy had ended its VFAX programme and accepted a Grumman Aircraft proposal for a smaller,  and more maneuverable design known as the VFX (which entered service as the F-14 Tomcat). As the USAF feared that the VFX programme be forced upon them, the USAF top brass ended their infighting in May 1968 and decided that the F-X is going to be an air superiority fighter.

In September 1968, a Request For Proposals was released. It called for a single-seat fighter having a maximum take-off weight of 40,000 pounds for the air-to-air role with a maximum speed of Mach 2.5 and a thrust to weight ratio of nearly 1:1 at mission weight. It was to have a twin-engine configuration as it was believed this would respond more rapidly to throttle changes. However, details of the avionics were largely undefined. Four companies - General Dynamics, Fairchild Republic, North American Rockwell and McDonnell Douglas - submitted their proposal of which only GD was not awarded with a contract for the definition phase in December 1968. On 23 December 1969, McDonnell Douglas was chosen as the winner. It's design resembled the F-14 by having twin tails but with fixed wing platform. The large, thin wing, resembling a cropped delta shape, confers excellent maneuverability through low wing loading while the high thrust to weight ratio allow tight turns without losing airspeed. The wide fuselage also provided an effective lifting surface. As the requirement called for a single-seat aircraft, the flight and weapons control systems are designed so that the single crewmember can safely and effectively perform air-to-air combat. The cockpit is also mounted high on the forward fuselage with a large, unobstructed canopy to increase visiblity and 360 degree field of view.

Originally, the F-15 (later changed to F-15A) and TF-15 (later F-15B) trainer variant were powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney F100 afterburning turbofans. The main sensor is a Hughes An/APG-63 all-weather multi-mode radar with a basic range of 160 km. Built-in armament was originally proposed to be a Ford-Philco 25mm GAU-7 cannon but development problems caused it to be dropped and replaced with the tried-and-tested M61 Vulcan 20mm rotary cannon. Missile armament comprised of AIM-7 Sparrow BVR missile and AIM-9 Sidewinder close-range weapons. In 1978, the improved single-seat F-15C and two-seat F-15D versions entered production. The 'C' and 'D' models were fitted with the Production Eagle Package 2000 which included an additional 2,000 lb of internal fuel, provision for external conformal fuel tanks (CFTs) and increased maximum take-off weight to 68,000 lb, strengthened landing gears and a new digital computer. In 1983, the F-15 Multistage Product Improvement Program (MSIP) was initiated. Improvements include an upgraded central computer, a Programmable Armament Control Set, allowing for advanced versions of the Sparrow and Sidewinder missiles and also the (then) incoming AIM-120 AMRAAM and an expanded Tactical Electronic Warfare Systems that provide improvements to the ALR-56C Radar Warning Receiver and ALQ-135 countermeasures set. The APG-63 radar was upgraded while the final 43 F-15Cs built were equipped with the newer APG-70 radar.

The first airframe, a TF-15, was delivered in November 1974 whilst the famous 555th Tactical Fighter Squadron 'Triple Nickel' received the first single seat F-15 in January 1976. Israel became the first export customer for the Eagle when they received an initial batch of 25 airframes in 1977. An Israeli AF Eagle also scored the first kill for the type on 27 June 1979, a Syrian AF MiG-21. Between 1979 through 1981 Israeli Eagles claimed 15 Syrian MiGs (thirteen MiG-21s and two MiG-25s). A further 41 Syrian aircraft were claimed during the 1982 Lebanon War (23 MiG-21s, 17 MiG-23s and a single SA.342L Gazelle). On 5 June 1984, two Iranian F-4 Phantoms were shot down in a skirmish with Royal Saudi AF F-15Cs. USAF F-15s were deployed to the Gulf region in August 1990 to participate in Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm. In combat against the Iraqi AF, air-superiority F-15Cs claimed 34 Iraqi aircraft shot down (five MiG-29s, two MiG-25s, eight MiG-23s, two MiG-21s, two Su-25s, four Su-22s, one Su-7, six Mirage F1s, one Il-76, one PC-9 and two Mi-8s). RSAF F-15s claimed two Mirage F1s shot down. In 1994, two US Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters were mistakenly shot down by Eagles enforcing the no-fly zone in Northern Iraq during Operation Northern Watch while four Yugoslav MiG-29s were shot down during Operation Allied Force in Kosovo during 1999. In all, Eagles have scored an impressive air-to-air kill : loss ratio of 104 to 0, with roughly half achieved by Isareli Air Force pilots.

The F-15 was further developed into the multirole F-15E version. The curtailing of the production of the F-22 Raptor mean that the F-15 would still be around for some time. The production line of the Eagle is scheduled to end in 2019 and the bulk of the air superiority F-15Cs are expected to remain until the mid-2020s.

The Kit

As I have remarked elsewhere, Hasegawa is the 'king of re-boxings', especially of their own kits. The F-15, being one of the most popular airplanes was reboxed so many times that I have trouble tracing their lineage. The kit used for this build is the 2005 reboxing of kit E13. This kit replaced the early 1980s-vintage, less detailed kit No. C6 (and its own re-boxings). Parts are divided among 7 sprues plus one clear sprue. Details are typically Hasegawa being sharp with petite panel lines. The cockpit is quite well-detailed although, as usually happened, the ejection seat was not really up to par. There are no weapons included (as usual!) Decals are provided for three aircraft, all nicknamed 'Gulf Spirit'. The first two are for aircraft 80-0002 and 80-0018 while the third was the more famous of the 'Gulf Spirits', aircraft 85-0102 in which its pilots scored three victories during Operation Desert Storm in 1991.

Construction

Almost invariably, building starts with the pilot's office. I discarded the kit's seat and installed Neomega's excellent resin replacement in its place. The interior is then painted Gunze Sangyo H317. According to instructions, the avionics bay behind the cockpit should be painted metallic blue-green, a colour which I don't have at this time. However, after making queries on the ARC Forum boards, I found out that 85-0102 is a MSIP aircraft and the bay is painted white. The bay is duly painted so. While Hasegawa suggested that the raised instrument and switch details be removed if one wants to use the decals, I left them alone as they add that 3D effect (even though the decals did not really match the raised details). The nose assembly was then put together. Although not suggested (and with hindsight, I think unnecessary), I placed a piece of fishing weight inside the nose, just to be safe. The main fuselage was next. It consists of an upper and a lower half with separate intakes.

The intake trunking although very basic, at least had the engine compressor face which blocked a see-through down the fuselage. Careful assembly helps to reduce the dreaded seam lines on the intake ramps and also between the upper and lower fuselage halves. The wing assembly also consisted of upper and lower halves; the upper half is the larger than the bottom. There were no fit problems but there was a bit when fitting the wings to the fuselage. The fin and tail planes however went on without a problem. The exhaust nozzles are of the coorect featherless type but to improve details, the petals were separated into five parts and again, careful assembly is needed to ensure the symmetry. Plus, the actuator rods are pretty tiny, making assembly rather fiddly. The exhuasts were left aside at this time to facilitate painting. The large airbrake cemented in the closed position while the rest of the parts would also be left off until after painting.

Painting and Decalling

Hasegawa provided three marking options of the planes which have the 'Gulf Spirit' nose art, all of which served with the 33rd Fighter Wing at Eglin AFB, Florida. The first two options are for airframe 85-002 and 85-005 in 2003 with the darker paint scheme. The third one is the more famous airframe 85-102 during Operation Desert Storm in 36320/36375 scheme. I chose this latter option as it doesn't involve any paint mixing, the markings are also more colourful plus the history of the plane itself. Hasegawa's instructions however erred by using the paint mixes for the first two markings for this option. Kit is painted using Gunze Sangyo acrylics. Once dry, the decals were applied, a rather boring and long work as there were quite a number of stencil decals to be applied. Once done, the decals were secured with Mr Mark Softer.

As a side note, Airframe 85-102 was marked for 33rd CO, Col. Rick Parsons who during Desert Storm, managed to shot down an Iraqi Su-22. However 85-102 was also used by other pilots to shot down two other Iraqi planes, hence the three victory symbols on the nose. Also, rather than the Persian Gulf, the nose art actually refers to the Gulf of Mexico, on which coast Eglin AFB, home of the 33rd TFW is located. However the connection between the art and Persian Gulf is an apt one considering the role the 33rd played during Desert Storm, being credited with 16 air-to-air victories.


Finishing

With aircraft models, the final run started with the landing gears, allowing the model to stand on its own hence allowing things under the wings to be put in place. The exhausts were then cemented to the model, followed by the gear doors and the underwing stores. As there are no weapons provided by the kit, I used missiles in Hasegawa's Weapons Set V. I decided to use the AIM-120 AMRAAM on the outside rails to reflect the weapons configuration used by the Eagles towards the end of Desert Storm which later become the current air-to-air weapons configuration. The kit launcher rails were also replaced with LAU-129A/A rails from the same Weapons Set. All the external tanks were used as Eagles in the Gulf sported this configuration, including Gulf Spirit itself. Panel lines were then enhanced using a 2B pencil. Afterwards, Tamiya Gloss Clear was used to protect the paint and decals. The canopy and the pitot probes were finally cemented and I called it a wrap.

Conclusion

One of the most satisfying build I have ever attempted, with hardly a drop of putty needed while the markings for Col. Parson's 'Gulf Spirit' is the icing on the cake. Now, will anyone PLEEEEAAASE kit a decent F-15E in 1/72? (Update : Hasegawa have since released a new-tool F-15E in 2012, while Great Wall Hobby is coming out with their 'E' this year (2017))