The F-15 Eagle is a twin-engine, all-weather tactical fighter used by the US Air Force. The F-18 Super Hornet is a twin-engine carrier-based multirole fighter used by the US Navy. While the F-15 is used as an interceptor, for air superiority, and as a multirole combat aircraft, the F-18 can also be configured as an airborne tanker.
Comparison chart
 | F-15 | FA-18 |
|---|---|---|
 |  | |
| Role | Air superiority fighter | Carrier-based multirole fighter |
| Manufacturer | McDonnell Douglas Boeing Defense, Space and Security | McDonnell Douglas Boeing Defense, Space and Security |
| Status | Used primarily by the US, Japan, Saudi Arabia and Israel | In service and production in the US and Australia |
| National origin | United States | United States |
| Number built | 1,198 | 2,036 as of Jan 2024. 1,480 F/A-18A/B/C/D (Hornet) and 632 F/A-18E/F (Super Hornet) |
| Also known as | McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle | Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet |
| Unit cost | US $28-30 million | US $66.9 million |
| Maximum speed | Mach 2.5 | Mach 1.8+ |
| Introduced | January 1976 | 1999 |
| Number of engines | 2 | 2 |
| Length | 63 ft 9 in | 60 ft 1¼ in |
| Number still in service | 222 in US; over 1000 worldwide. | 500 |
| Wingspan | 42 ft 10 in | 44 ft 8½ in |
| Loaded weight | 20,200 kg | 21,320 kg |
| Armament | 20mm M61 Vulcan 6-barreled Gatling cannon, bombs, missiles, drop tanks. | 20mm M61 Vulcan Gatling gun, missiles, bombs |
| Rate of climb | 50, 000+ ft/min | 50, 000+ ft/min |
| Combat radius | 1222 miles | 449 miles |
| Service ceiling | 65,000 ft | 50, 000 ft |
| Number of seats | 1 or 2 | 1 or 2 |
History
The F-15 Eagle was developed as an air superiority fighter with both air-to-air and air-to-ground capabilities. As the planes developed by the US Navy, such as the F-14 Tomcat, were unsuitable for these purposes, the US Air Force spearheaded the F-X program, which led to the development of the F-15A. It made its first flight in July 1972. It was introduced in 1976 and was followed by other single-seat and two-seat models with extra fuel capacity and improved radar and engines.
The F-18 Super Hornet was proposed in the late 1980s as an improvement on early F-18 models and gets its name from the unique wing and tail configuration like that of a hornet. It was first ordered by the US Navy in 1992 as a replacement for the F-14 Tomcat. It first flew on 29th November 1995 and flight testing began in 1996. It was underwent US Navy operational tests in 1999 and was officially approved in February 2000.
Design
The F-15 Eagle is 63 feet 9 inches long, with a wingspan of 42 feet 10 inches. Its loaded weight is 20,200 kilograms.
The F-18 Super Hornet is 60 feet 1.25 inches long, with a wingspan of 44 feet 8.5 inches. Its loaded weight is 21,320 kg.
Boeing employees talk about some of the features offered in Boeing's F-15 Silent Eagle and F-18 Super Hornet in this video:
Cockpit
The cockpit of the F-15 Eagle is mounted high in the forward fuselage. It has a one-piece windshield and large canopy.
The F-18 Super Hornet has two cockpits: front and aft. These come with multi-function displays and can be operated independently.
Engines
The F-15 Eagle uses two Pratt & Whitney F100 axial-flow turbofan engines with afterburners mounted side-by-side in the fuselage.
The F-18 Super Hornet uses two General Electric F414 turbofan engines.
Boeing is proposing a new GE-F414-EPE (Enhanced Performance Engines) for a 20% increase of thrust.
Armament
The F-15 Eagle can be armed with AIM-7F/M Sparrow missiles, AIM-120 AMRAAM advanced medium range air-to-air missiles, AIM-9L/M Sidewinder missiles and a M61A1 20 mm Gatling gun.
The F-18 Super Hornet can be armed with a 22mm M61 Vulcan nose mounted Gatling gun, AIM-9 Sidewinder and AIM-7 Sparrow air-to-air missiles, AGM-65 Maverick, Standoff Land Attack Missile-Expanded Response (SLAM-ER), AGM-88 HARM Anti-radiation and AGM-154 JSOW air-to-surface missiles, AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles, JAM Precision-guided munition, laser guided bombs, unguided iron bombs, CBU-87 cluster bombs, CBU-78 Gater bombs, CBU-97 bombs and Mk 20 Rockeye II bombs.
Operators
F-15 Eagles are used by the US Air Force, Israel, Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia and Singapore.
F-18 Super Hornets are used by the US Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force.
Here's an amazing video of the F-18 Super Hornet flown by the US Navy Flying Eagles squad at the 2010 Miramar Air Show. At around 04:34 the Super Hornet wraps itself in a vapor cone caused by a sudden drop in air pressure as the plane approaches the sound barrier.
F-14 Tomcat 
F-15 Eagle 
Marines 
Green Berets 
Al-Qaeda 
AK-47
Comments: F-15 vs FA-18
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