Weapons

The weapons on the F-15 and the F-16 vary somewhat, although they also share some common ones. The reason these planes were developed was to create a multi-purpose aircraft capable of being used in different types of combat. They are owned by the military and are very expensive.

F-15

The F-15 comes in several models. Here is a description of the weapons on two of the models. The models discussed here are the F-15C and the F-15E.

The F-15C has one 20 mm M61A1 Vulcan six barrel cannon with 940 rounds of ammunition. It has 10,705 kg or 23,600 lbs of disposable stores, including nuclear weapons, ASM’s (Air to Surface missiles), AAM’s (Anti-Aircraft Missiles), free-fall or guided bombs, cluster bombs, dispenser weapons, rocket launchers, napalm tanks, drop tanks and ECM pods (Electronic Counter Measures). They are all carried on nine external hardpoints. A hardpoint is a pylon or fitting on a military aircraft that enables missiles or other loads to be attached to it.

The F-15E has one 20 mm M61A1 gun with 512 rds’s (rounds of shells), up to 11,000 kg (924,250 lb) of ordinance including B571/-61 nuclear bombs, GBU-10/-12/-15/-24 LGB’s, Rockeye (cluster bomb), and CBU-25/-58/-71/-871-89/-90/-92/-93 CBU’s (fuel/air explosive weapon), Mk82/84 "iron" bombs,

AGM 65 Maverick ASM’s, AGM-88 HARMs (Air to Ground Missile), AIM-7 Sparrow/ AIM-120 AMRAAM (Advance Medium Range Air to Air Missile), medium range AAM’s (Air to Air Missile), AIM-9 Sidewinder short range AAM’s, and three auxiliary fuel tanks.

The F-15's primary mission was air-to-ground strike, and it carried a wide variety of guided and unguided weapons on its underwing and centerline pylons and stores carriers fitted to the CFT’s. Up to eight AAM’s (Air to Air Missiles) can be carried for use in the air, backed by a six-barrel cannon on the star-board wing root for close-range work.

THE F-16

The F-16 has one 20 mm M61A1 Vulcan three-barrel cannon with 515 rounds, 9,276 kg (20,450 lb) of disposable stores, including nuclear weapons, ASM’s, AAM’s, anti-radar missiles, anti-ship missiles, free-fall or guided bombs, cluster bombers and dispenser weapons. It also has rocket launchers, napalm tanks, drop tanks and ECM pods carried on nine external hardpoints. It was originally created as an air combat fighter. It has advanced avionics for long-range target interception and accurate weapon delivery.