The Super Fighter That was Too Weird for the US Air Force

[Music] the original McDonald Douglas F-15 Eagle May rightfully be considered one of the most iconic and effective fighters of the 20th century yet the Next Generation F-15 short takeoff and Landing maneuver technology demonstrator ahead of its time when first launched in the late 1980s set the stage for a brand new dawn in The Next Century soaring through the skies with extraordinary aerobatic finesse this superpowered Eagle proudly showed off its pioneering design and Next Level capabilities by incorporating Advanced thrust vectoring controls and canards this futuristic flying machine could pull off daring aerial maneuvers take off with incredibly low rotation speeds and land on remarkably short runways this was a Leap Forward from its predecessors and contemporaries even NASA made sure it got hold of the aircraft to test their most Innovative new technology thanks to the progress made by the Revolutionary F-15 St MTD project the world has born witness to the development of a new generation of aircraft that have come to dominate the everchanging face of Modern Warfare such as the Lockheed Martin F22 Raptor as well as the F35 lightning 2 McDonald Douglas began developing the original F-15 Eagle during the Vietnam War to meet the United States Air Force's need for a dedicated air superiority fighter to take on the Russian mikoyan gurovich Mig Plaines used by communist North Vietnam in the tumultuous Skies over southeast Asia designed as an epitome of modern Aviation Technology the F-15 program aimed to create a versatile highly maneuverable aircraft with Superior speed agility and Firepower compared to existing Fighters powered by twin Pratt and Whitney F100 turbo fan engines the eagle could achieve speeds exceeding Mach 2.5 enabling rapid deployment across vast operational ranges its agility was underscored by an impressive thrust to weight ratio allowing for tight turns and complex aerobatic Maneuvers what's more the f-15s durable airframe was built to endure the demands of intense aerial combat its Armament consisted of a 7 Sparrow and am9 Sidewinder missiles alongside a 20 mm m61 Vulcan Cannon establishing its dominance in air-to-air combat additionally it was equipped with Advanced radar systems such as the aapg 63 and later the AAP g70 capable of identifying and engaging targets from great distances and featured Cutting Edge avionics and electronic warfare systems such as the Tactical electronic warfare system providing pilot with unparalleled situational awareness upon completion the F-15 was introduced into service in 1976 just missing out on the chance to see combat in Vietnam however it would soon get the chance to prove its metal on a different aerial Battlefield when it was used by the Israeli Air Force to devastating effect in various Middle Eastern conflicts from the late 1970s onwards in the early 1990s the F-15 would shine during the Gulf War where it accounted for 36 of the 39 air-to-air victories by the US Air Force against Iraqi planes it would also be incorporated into the Saudi Arabian and Japanese Air Forces and has been credited with over 100 Victories and zero losses in aerial combat making it one of the most successful fighters of all time yet rather than gunning enemies in vicious dog fights one particular F-15 would find itself performing a very different but no less important role as Cold War tensions promoted Fierce competition between the United States and the Soviet Union both sides were constantly looking for ways to improve their aircraft to get the edge over rival planes as modern Air Combat Evolved while the original F-15 was clearly a highly capable fighter American aeronautical Engineers believed there was a way to make it even better aiming to push the boundaries of conventional aircraft perform performance the goal was to equip the eagle with Advanced aerodynamic and propulsion systems that would enable short takeoff and Landing or stole capabilities and unprecedented control and stability in 1975 the team at the Langley Research Center in Hampton Virginia began investigating thrust vectoring technology which would alter the direction of an aircraft's engine thrust giving the pilot greater control over pitch and yaw during flight having conducted sponsored programs to research two-dimensional thrust vectoring nozzles Langley began working with McDonald Douglas in 1977 to begin a system integration study of thrust vectoring thrust reversing and 2D nozzles on the F-15 it was believed that the Fighter's robust high strength aluminum alloy airframe which was 63 ft 9 in Long 18 ft 6 in tall and had a Wings span of 42t 10 in could easily accommodate the necessary modifications and that her two powerful Pratt and Whitney f00 turbofan engines would provide a good platform for integrating and testing the new nozzle designs these could be vectored up to 20° in any direction providing incredible agility and enabling Maneuvers previously thought impossible for a jet of its size another difference from the standard F-15 Eagle was the incorporation of Canard control surfaces already used to great effect since the 1960s beginning with with the groundbreaking Swedish Sab 37 vegan multiroll fighter one of the most Innovative aircraft of its time unlike traditional control surfaces these small forward Wings which had a span of 26 1/2 ft and were positioned in front of the main wings were actively controlled and could move independently the canards would provide the aircraft with additional lift increase air flow over the wings and improve overall aerodynamic performance even at low speeds such as during takeoff and Landing phases reducing the runway length required for these operations this would provide a tactical Advantage by enabling operations from less prepared airfields closer to the front lines or where conventional longer runways had been damaged or could not be used furthermore the F-15 stole MTD Incorporated an advanced digital flight control system or DFCS which processed large amounts of data in real time and managed the complex inter interactions between conventional control surfaces canards and thrust vectoring nozzles as these features significantly altered the aircraft's flight Dynamics compared to the standard F-15 this DFCS was critical for achieving the desired performance enhancements and ensuring the aircraft [Music] stability in 1984 the flight Dynamics laboratory the Air Force Aeronautical Systems division awarded a contract to McDonald Doug for an advanced development stole MTD experimental aircraft the aircraft used for the project was the pre-production tf15 a number one it had the USAF serial number 71- 0290 this aircraft was an f-15b two- seat model initially designed for training chosen to facilitate the testing and evaluation process as it would allow for a test pilot and a flight engineer or test engineer to be on board during experimental flights it was the sixth F5 built by McDonald Douglas and was the first two-seater version out of two prototypes with the Prototype finally ready in 1988 testing began at Edwards Air Force basee in California a central location for many of the United States Air Force test and evaluation activities especially for experimental and Cutting Edge Aerospace projects it was here that Captain Chuck joerger flying aell X1 famously broke the sound barrier for the first time as well as providing the landing site for the first space shuttle mission the base is known for its extensive facilities that support a wide range of flight test activities including large dry lake beds that are used as natural runways for testing aircraft under various conditions this made it an ideal location for assessing the estol mtd's advanced short takeoff and Landing capabilities as well as its enhanced maneuverability features in a controlled but operationally relevant environment the F-15 stole MTD made its first flight on September 7th 1988 the first of approximately 200 flights which would take place over the space of the next 3 years as it was carefully examined and evaluated by some of the USA's best aeronautical brains who gained valuable insights about the effects of the aircraft's Revolutionary technology while its top speed of 1,500 22 mph and service ceiling of 60,000 ft were unsurprisingly similar to The Standard F15 the differences were far more pronounced in the areas the stall MTD was designed to test firstly the stall MTD proved capable of executing vectored takeoffs impressively rotating at speeds as low as 36 knots or 42 M hour a significant departure from conventional aircraft performance this innovation contributed to a 25% reduction in the distance required for takeoff moreover the F-15 stole MTD could land on a mere 1,650 ft of Runway a fraction of the 7,500 ft needed for the standard F-15 in addition the aircraft was equipped with the capability for thrust reversal in Flight allowing it to achieve rapid deceleration demonstrating the advanced engineering and design principles that went into its development testing was deemed complete on August 15th 1991 meaning stole mtd's job was done and it was officially retired from the US Air Force however it wouldn't be long before the state-of-the-art experimental plane was back in the air and this time it would be in the service of another prestigious institution on the very Vanguard of technological progress after its initial phase of US Air Force military testing had concluded the F-15 do MTD was acquired by NASA on June 15th 1993 it arrived at their Dryden flight Research Center also located in Edwards California now known as the Armstrong flight Research Center to begin an advanced research program the project was named active an acronym for advanced control technology for integrated Vehicles their aim was to significantly Advance the Synergy between engines and aircraft setting a new standard for the next wave of high performance Aerospace applications this trailblazing initiative built upon the solid foundation of Innovations from previous projects seeing the potential for further modifications NASA experimented with the integration of pitw balance beam nozzles which provided a full 360° Arc for thrust redirection a major advancement in thrust vectoring capabilities as a result the F-15 active could execute post stall Maneuvers high angle of attack operations tail slide Maneuvers and tight and fast Vector roles after the active program concluded in 1999 the aircraft served as a versatile platform for testing various Aerospace Innovations between 1999 and 2008 it played a crucial role in evaluating the intelligent flight control system or ifcs this system designed to enhance flight safety and performance featured Advanced adaptive control Technologies capable of responding in real time to unexpected shifts in Flight Dynamics or aerodynamic Properties by employing sophisticated algorithms the ifcs could autonomously recalibrate its control mechanisms to sustain stability and manageability even in the event of damage or system failures that altered the aircraft's behavior this period of NASA's research and experimentation with the F-15 stole MTD contributed valuable data and insights into the potential application of these Technologies in both military and civilian Aerospace [Music] contexts the F-15 stole MTD program played a key role in advancing Aerospace technology its Legacy is evident in how it influenced the design and development of future aircraft by proving the viability and benefits of several Innovative Technologies and nowhere more so than in fifth generation fighter planes one one example is the Lockheed Martin F22 Raptor first flown in 1997 inspired by the stole MTD the Raptor uses two deth thrust vectoring nozzles allowing for exceptional agility and enabling it to perform stunts such as the herb maneuver or Pav's Cobra furthermore the F-15 stole mtd's exploration of super maneuverability enhanced agility through advanced aerodynamics and flight control Technologies paved the way for the F-22 Superior performance perance in air-to-air combat situations another case is the Lockheed Martin F35 lightning 2 while it does not use thrust vectoring in the same way as the F-22 the program benefited from the sto mtd's developments in integrated avionics and flight Control Systems the f-35's design incorporates highly Advanced systems that provide the pilot with unparalleled situational awareness and control Concepts that were Advanced during the stole mtd's develop velopment the f35b variants short takeoff and vertical Landing capabilities can also Trace conceptual lineage back to the sto research and experiments conducted with the F-15 stall MTD although the Technologies are not directly transferred the fundamental Research into short takeoff and Landing as well as managing complex air flow and control issues at low speeds contributed valuable knowledge that influenced the f 35 B's unique propulsion system and lift fan design outside the realm of fighter planes the advanced control Technologies tested on the F-15 stole MTD have also influenced the design of unmanned aerial Vehicles where stability control and autonomous operation are critical while the direct impact on civil aviation is less pronounced the Technologies developed and tested in programs like the stole MTD have also trickled down to improve the efficiency safety and operational capabilities of commercial aircraft particularly in advanced flight control systems and aerodynamics

Channel: Only Planes

Views: 16,076

Keywords: aviation, airplanes, air force, documentary, wings, tv, history, discovery channel, history channel, science, technology, tv show

Id: AmrUo47AGP4

Length: 15min 47sec (947 seconds)

Published: Thu Mar 14 2024