Five AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile cruise missiles were suspended from the F-15E Strike Eagle fighter mounts. This is one of the most modern complexes of this type in the arsenal of the US Air Force.
The Americans have shown that the F-15E Strike Eagle can be turned into a "strategic bomber" if desired: new photos show an aircraft with a record number of JASSM (Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile) cruise missiles.
For the first time, the fighter was loaded with five such missiles at once. The check was carried out on the territory of the Eglin base. The plane, apparently, has not yet flown with such a configuration of weapons, but the Americans have plans for further tests.
F-15E with five JASSM missiles
Image Source: U.S. AIR FORCE
The F-15E test with five AGM-158s was conducted by the 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron, part of the 53rd Wing. In March, it tested the F-15E armament, evaluating the jet's ability to carry 15 different types of Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) ammunition. The tests were supposed to show the possibility of delivering ammunition to the theater of operations in the shortest possible time.
The new challenges have similar goals. The Project Strike Rodeo project is expected to allow small groups of F-15Es to perform some of the tasks previously performed by bombers. It is noteworthy that the Air Force is seeking to increase the number of JASSMS for B-1B "strategists" as well. They want to achieve this by adding external holders in addition to the internal ones.
JASSM
Image Source: U.S. AIR FORCE
The AGM-158 JASSM is a high-precision cruise missile developed by Lockheed Martin. It is designed to defeat important, highly secure stationary and movable targets from distances outside the range of enemy air defense systems. There are several versions of the rocket. The later-AGM-158B JASSM-ER-has a range of more than 900 kilometers. The weight of the warhead is 450 kilograms. The rocket's flight speed is subsonic.
F-15E
Image Source: U.S. AIR FORCE
The McDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike Eagle is among the most powerful fighter-bombers of our time, although it made its first flight back in 1986. The aircraft is a two-seat fighter, created on the basis of the combat training F-15D.
The development of the F-15 family was the Boeing F-15EX, [...] which recently received the name Eagle II. A notable feature of the machine is the ability to carry a record number of air — to-air missiles: their number can reach 22 units. The first of these machines, the US Air Force received in March of this year.
