The McDonnell Douglas F-15C Eagle is a twin-engine, all-weather air superiority jet fighter that ranks as one of the best combat aircraft of the modern era. The versatile Eagle has been the mainstay of U.S. air defenses for more than three decades.
The aircraft's AN/APG-63(V) pulse-Doppler radar enables it to detect, identify and engage enemy aircraft at long range with AIM-120 AMRAAM or AIM-7 Sparrow missiles. For close range dogfights, the Eagle carries AIM-9 Sidewinder AAMs and an internal 20 mm M61 Vulcan Gatling gun housed in the starboard wing root.
The F-15C has scored more than 100 air-to-air victories in the service of Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the U.S. without suffering any confirmed losses – a combat record that speaks for itself
Low wing loading, high thrust-to-weight ratio and large rudders enable the aircraft to turn tightly without losing too much energy, making it a powerful adversary in the hands of a skilled pilot. Twin Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-220 engines enable the F-15C to climb vertically to 40,000 feet (9,100 m) in less than a minute.
The F-15C first entered service in 1976 and has been widely exported, with 483 built between 1979–1985. King of skies for almost forty years, the DCS F-15C Eagle is one of the most exciting and rewarding DCS aircraft to fly.
Afterburner operation is simulated in detail, with complex afterburner spray ring calculations.
Startup procedure is fully modeled.
Pressing the Engine Start key initiates the automatic startup procedure, faithfully modeled in detail.
The model follows real-world steps needed to start the engine in a real F-15; however the current implementation can only be performed automatically without additional manual input by player.
The JFS (Jet Fuel Starter) pull-out handle starts the JFS. Upon JFS reaching sufficient speed, the READY lamp lights up on the right console. The engine start procedure begins a few seconds later based on selected input (left or right).
Two possibilities can arise after the first engine is started:
The right engine is always started first when starting both engines. This way the hydraulic pump operated by the right engine can be checked.
JFS LOW display illuminates after the JFS is started, showing that one or both hydraulic accumulator are discharged. After starting the engine, the hydraulic pressure in the accumulator rises and the display will turn off.
Other indicator lights may illuminate during start-up, including L GEN OUT, R GEN OUT, or EMER BST ON. This is not a malfunction. However, if the lights remain on after the start-up procedure is completed, a malfunction may indeed have occurred.
The F-15C carries internal fuel in four fuselage and two wing tanks with total capacity of 2,070 gallons (7,836 liters).
The fighter can also carry up to three external fuel tanks, two under wing and one under fuselage, with a total capacity of 610 gallons (2,309 liters).
Maximum overall capacity for all internal and external tanks is 3,800 gallons (14,385 liters). The interconnected fuselage tanks are located behind the cockpit and under the speed brake, between the two engine air intake ducts.
All internal, external and CFT fuel can be dumped via the Fuel Dumping System through fuel vent outlets located at the trailing edge of each wingtip.
Aerial refueling can be accomplished via the Air Force type fixed boom system with an air refueling receptacle.
| Tank | Capacity (gal) | Fuel Weight (lbs) | Fuel Weight (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tank 1 | 655 | 4257 | 1931 |
| Right Feed | 234 | 1521 | 690 |
| Left Feed | 189 | 1228 | 557 |
| Left/Right Wing Internal | 496 | 3224.5 | 1462.5 |
| 496 | 3224.5 | 1462.5 | |
| TOTAL INTERNAL | 2070 | 13455 | 6103 |
| Left/Right Wing External Drop | 610 | 4072 | 1847 |
| 610 | 4072 | 1847 | |
| TOTAL INTERNAL + EXTERNAL WING DROP | 3290 | 21599 | 9797 |
| Fuselage Drop | 610 | 4072 | 1847 |
| TOTAL INTERNAL + EXTERNAL FUSELAGE DROP | 2680 | 17527 | 7950 |
| TOTAL INTERNAL + EXTERNAL DROP | 3800 | 25671 | 11644 |
| Maximum possible fuel capacity | 3800 | 25671 | 11644 |
Fuel transfer system is fully automatic. Fuel from external fuel tanks are transferred to the internal tanks by regulated engine bleed air pressure.
However, the 1 tank pump will not operate on the F-15C with the aerial refueling receptacle door open (SLIPWAY switch is not in the CLOSE position).
Fuel from external tanks will not feed if the landing gear handle is lowered, or if SLIPWAY switch is in the OPEN position, but only as long as the FUEL LOW light is not illuminated.
Normally, the left engine is powered by the Left engine feed tank, and the right engine by the Right engine feed tank. When flying on one engine, the engine feed tank of the disabled engine will not feed the running engine until the operative engine's feed tank fuel supply dips well below the FUEL LOW limits.
The WING (for external wing tanks) and CTR (for centerline tank) switches are set to NORM for normal transfer and refuel functions when external tanks are used. The switches have no effect when external tanks are not used.
As conformal tanks are not covered in this model, the CONF TANK switch is set to STOP TRANS to maintain logical fuel flow.
The EXT TRANS switch is set to WING / CTR.
Combined indicator that displays different fuel quantities is located at the bottom right of the Main Instrument Panel.
The pointer shows the total internal fuel in thousands of lbs (readings must be multiplied by 1,000). The counter marked as "TOTAL LBS" indicates total internal, external, plus CFT fuel.
The two lower counters marked LEFT and RIGHT provide individual tank monitoring possibility. The tank to be monitored must be selected by a selector knob and the current fuel levels of the selected tank are indicated by the two counters.
The Selector knob is set to the "FEED" positions to display fuel state for engine feed tanks.
The LEFT and RIGHT lower counters therefore display total fuel in the left and right engine feed tanks.
The FUEL LOW caution automatically displays, and the appropriate caution light illuminates, if fuel level in one of the engine feed tanks decrease below a minimal limit.
Individual fuel level sensors in the engine feed tanks are set to 1,000 pounds for the right engine feed tank, and 600 pounds for the left.
In a real F-15, the pilot can manually set bingo fuel level by a knob in the upper right corner of the Fuel Quantity Indicator display. Once this level is reached by the fuel quantity pointer, a BINGO FUEL caution on the MPD/ MPCD display comes on.
In the case of this simulation, BINGO fuel level is set to 3,500 lbs.
All internal, external and CFT fuel, except for fuel in engine feed tanks, can be dumped overboard.
With the landing gear handle lowered, fuel in external tanks is not dumped.
The dump switch is spring-loaded to the lever-locked NORM position. If the switch is placed into its DUMP position, it is held there electrically.
The fuel is dumped at an approximate rate of 390 PPM (pounds per minute) for the right wing tank and 260 PPM for the left wing tank and tank 1.
Note:
Unequal dumping rate for the left and right wing tanks creates an imbalance of approximately 130 pounds per minute. This imbalance continues to grow until all fuel is dumped from both wing tanks.
Fuel from the external wing tanks is pumped into internal tanks and then dumped.
Fuel dumping continues:
