Through deep customization, the Israelis have maximized their F-15 fleet to be more surgical and self-reliant, focusing on rapid operations in hotly contested regional airspaces.
Israeli airstrike operations against Iran have raised awareness towards the Israeli Air Force (IAF) airframe inventory. To the American observer, many of the Israeli airframes will be familiar, including the F-15I, an Israeli-variant of the American fourth-generation fighter, long in service with the US Air Force. Yet, despite sharing a common platform with American counterparts, the F-15I is modified to meet Israel’s distinctive needs. The end result is that the American F15 and the Israeli F-15 are two very distinctive aircraft, despite their common origins.
Israel Needed a Different Kind of F-15
Both the US and Israeli operate several variants of the F-15, each modified to meet a specific operational profile. So while each variant has different specifications and different applications, each country has something of an aggregate F-15 approach that can be compared to one another. That comparison shows that the US and Israeli F-15s diverge significantly in terms of the avionics, mission roles, and weapons integration chosen.
The United States uses the F15 C/D for air superiority and the F-15E Strike Eagle for a multirole capability (especially strike missions). More recently, America has begun to field the F-15EX, which features a modern radar and advanced electronic warfare systems (EPAWSS).
The Israelis, meanwhile, are most reliant upon the F-15I-variant, known as the “Ra’am” (Thunder). Derived from the F-15E, the Ra’am features significant indigenous modifications, such as advanced local avionics, missions computers, electronic warfare suites, and communications systems—all developed from Israeli companies. The F-15I has been optimized for long-range precision strike missions, with a capability to deliver stand-off munitions deep into hostile territory—presumably Iran. Israel has also modified the weapons loadout for their F-15s, blending both US-made weapons and Israeli-made weapons such as the Python 4/5 air-to-air missiles, Spice precision-guided bombs, and the Delilah cruise missile. The result is that the Israeli F-15s have a broader tactical envelope than their US counterparts featuring standard US weapons load outs.
Perhaps the most notable difference between US and Israeli F-15s is the electronic warfare setups. While the US F15s feature powerful systems—especially the EPAWSS system on the F-15EX—the Israelis have gone a step further, outfitting their F-15s with cutting-edge domestic jamming and countermeasure systems that have proven themselves in the complex and contested Middle Eastern airspace.
The American and Israeli F-15s Have Different Mission Sets
Israeli military doctrine emphasizes autonomy, preemptive capability, and the ability to operate without a guarantee of US support, meaning the Israeli F-15 needs to maintain a higher level of self-sufficiency. The F-15I is calibrated accordingly. Indeed, the IAF features the F-15 as a strategic backbone on account of the aircraft’s payload, long range, and adaptability. Through deep customization, the Israelis have maximized their F-15 fleet to be more surgical and self-reliant, focusing on rapid operations in hotly contested regional airspaces.
The United States does not place as important a strategic emphasis on their F-15s. While the F-15 remains important to the USAF force structure, mostly as a multirole workhorse, the strategic emphasis has shifted to more modern aircraft like the F-22 and F-35, leaving Israel as the far more ambitious F-15 operator.
Regardless, both the Americans and the Israelis have more than earned their money’s worth out of a fourth-generation aircraft first built in the 1970s, but maintains relevance thanks to rugged survivability, high thrust-to-weight ratio, and consistent upgrades.
About the Author: Harrison Kass
Harrison Kass is a Senior Defense and National Security Writer at The National Interest. Kass is an attorney and former political candidate who joined the US Air Force as a pilot trainee before being medically discharged. He focuses on military strategy, aerospace, and global security affairs. He holds a JD from the University of Oregon and a master’s in Global Journalism and International Relations from NYU.
Image: Wikimedia Commons.
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