Question about the F-15 Satellite Destroyer

I've read in my "Great Book of Modern Warplanes" that the F-15 was being tested as a Satellite Killer and could climb to altitudes of over 100,000 feet. My newb question is..can all F-15's do this? I was always under the assumption that most aircraft couldn't go much over their service ceiling.

[edit on 10-7-2005 by Tony Stark]

that's not entirely true. The F-15 would carry an ASAT (AntiSattelite Missle), would clime as high as they could, almost vertically, and at the top of the climb would fire off the missile, using their speed and the altitude they were at as a "booster stage" for the missile. IIRC the Eagle can't go even close to 100,000 feet.

In fact here, you can read this. It was launched from 80,000 off an F-15.

home.att.net...

Thanks for the quick response...all you guys are awesome.

Glad I could help out. I think the ASAT was an interesting program, but it had a lot of bugs to it. You had to mod the Eagle that was going to carry it, it went straight, and only straight, so if you didn't aim at the right point at the right time, you missed, plain and simple. If there was a way they could have developed it where ANY Eagle could carry it, or it was even semi-manuverable then I think it could have been a heck of a program.

IIRC the Eagle can't go even close to 100,000 feet.

In normal service trim, probably not.
However (from the USAF Museum):

The single-seat F15A on display, nicknamed "Streak Eagle," broke eight time-to-climb world records between Jan. 16 and Feb. 1, 1975. In setting the last of the eight records, it reached an altitude of 98,425 ft. just 3 minutes 27.8 seconds from brake release at takeoff and "coasted to nearly 103,000 ft. before descending. It was flown in its natural metal finish to reduce weight for the record-setting flights.

I think the "newer" S/MT models of the F-15 can go near 94,000 feet, or so.

Of course the planes with the highest service altitude are those of the United States Spy Units, the U-2 and the YF-12 (SR-71).

I think if the F14 had more powerfull engines than it already has it would be a much better sattalite destroyer.

Originally posted by tomcat ha
I think if the F14 had more powerfull engines than it already has it would be a much better sattalite destroyer.

Care to explain why?

The F-15S/MT much more versitle than the F-14, (then again, it's also newer)

It is designed to carry big bulky missles at high speeds.

The F-15 could carry pulse weaponry if it was ever designed. The S/MT (Also noting the experimental ACTIVE) are both designed for large weapon payloads. Even the F-15E is designed for that.

The Streak Eagle also had everything possible stripped off it. The sole purpose of that bird was to set speed to altitude records. They left one radio, took off every bit of weight they could, including paint, and basically went straight up as fast as they could, then coasted up to even higher altitude. They went as high as possible, then momentum took them higher. The only way they were able to get that high was to perform extensive modifications to the internal structure, and external weight loads. An OPERATIONAL F-15 can't even get close to that altitude, let alone one with an ASAT on the pylon.

Was the S/MT the ACTIVE demonstrator? If that's the case that was a one time experimental testbed. Never been, never going to be produced.

"The F-15S/MT much more versitle than the F-14, (then again, it's also newer)"

[edit on 10-7-2005 by Zaphod58]

Look up information on the F-15 Super Eagle, I think thats what the name designation is.

I can't find anything on the Super Eagle either anymore, but IIRC when I DID find something on it before it was the ACTIVE. While a nice design it was only a technology demonstrator that was never meant to be put into production. It was a demonstrator for the vectored exhaust that would later be used on the Raptor and how much improvement it would make with just about anything that used it. It's one of the first F-15Bs, that was modified with the rectangular exhaust and IIRC F-18 tailplanes for canards.

The only ASAT test firing against a live satellite was fired from a little under 40,000 feet, not anywhere near 100,000.

Here's some ASAT info: www.designation-systems.net...

Here's some info on the ASAT test launch: www.edwards.af.mil...

I think the sources have agreed to disagree.

The first and only ASM-135A launch against an actual target satellite took place on September 13, 1985, when F-15A 77-0084 of the 6512th Test Squadron stationed at Edwards AFB took off from Vandenberg AFB and zoom-climbed up to 80,000 feet and then launched the ASAT against the Solwind P78-1, a gamma ray spectroscopy satellite that had been launched in February of 1979. Both the first and second stages fired successfully, and the miniature kinetic kill vehicle separated and homed in on the satellite, destroying it upon impact.

I had a thread on the F-15S/MT ACTIVE variant. It was a model testbed for the experimental TVC at the time. It is just a research plane, never was a production model, it was flown at Dryden Research facility.

I'll be sure to find some information.

Shattered OUT...

www.allstar.fiu.edu...
www.nasa.gov...

Here's some good info on it. It's an odd looking bird, but was a great testbed.

Here are a couple of sources of information for the Active experimental, and some pics.
Sources:
Here we go, some info

some more

Pic Link







Shattered OUT...

Originally posted by Zaphod58
The first and only ASM-135A launch against an actual target satellite took place on September 13, 1985, when F-15A 77-0084 of the 6512th Test Squadron stationed at Edwards AFB took off from Vandenberg AFB and zoom-climbed up to 80,000 feet and then launched the ASAT against the Solwind P78-1, a gamma ray spectroscopy satellite that had been launched in February of 1979.

In the launch picture on the Edwards history site, wouldn't the sky be a lot darker if the Eagle was at 80,000 feet? I'm going to have to defer to Edwards on this one and trust that they have the facts right in this case.

Originally posted by Zaphod58
I can't find anything on the Super Eagle either anymore, but IIRC when I DID find something on it before it was the ACTIVE.

I appologize, then I stand corrected at the relation.

But I still feel that the F-14 would not be any better for the mission than the F-15.