For almost fifty years, the F-15 has served as the USAF’s primary fighter jet, alongside the F-16. Recently, the USAF has introduced the F-22 and F-35 to take that place, prompting many people to wonder which is better: the F-15 or F-22?
Both the F-15 and F-22 were designed in completely different eras, with completely different philosophies backing their design. However, they serve alongside one another quite often and never in direct combat, so which is truly superior?
F-15 vs F-22: What is a Fighter?
In recent years, aviation movies like Top Gun have began the cult of the fighter jet. Whilst not inherently wrong, the modern day roles of fighter jets have been misinterpreted by the general public as a whole.
The first fighter aircraft appeared just prior to WWI. Here, they were neglected initially, but were subsequently widely accepted during the war. Here, three types of aircraft existed: bomber; fighter and reconnaissance.
During WWII, fighters and bombers became the most important types of aircraft. Initially, fighters only had one role: to attack enemy aircraft. By the end of the war, fighters were split into two roles: interceptors and air superiority.
At the end of the war, relations between the East and the West deteriorated, beginning what we now call the Cold War. With this, Soviet aircraft would regularly stray into NATO airspace in order to test reaction times.
However, NATO forces couldn’t shoot down Soviet aircraft without risking an international conflict far worse than WWII. As such, fighter jets were redeveloped to have other capabilities than just air-to-air combat roles.
These roles include fighter-bomber, interceptor, night fighter, heavy fighter and ground attack among many others. Most fighter jets are able to carry out most of these roles, if not all of them. This continues to this day.
F-15 vs F-22: Basics
Before we can compare the F-15 and the F-22, we need to know a little background behind each aircraft. More importantly, we need to understand why the aircraft were built and for what purpose.
F-15
Vietnam was a military disaster for the US. A vastly technologically inferior nation, who’s main fighting force were mostly farmers, managed to fend off the most well equipped military on Earth.
The war highlighted that the USAF’s second generation jet fighters were obsolete, and needed replacing sooner rather than later. The war also highlighted newer third generation jets like the F-4 would soon be outdated too.
With this, the USAF began to develop new tactics in case of a future proxy conflict or outright war between the US and the Soviets. This also saw the introduction of newer, faster and better fighter jets.
The USAF turned to General Dynamics to produce the F-111 Aardvark for their F-X program, which was hoped would create a common aircraft used by the USMC, US Navy and USAF. Although the USAF were the only US operators.
Eventually, the F-111 also became outdated, and the USAF turned to McDonnell Douglas to create a new fighter jet. This aircraft was originally called the XF-15 Eagle, but soon entered service as the F-15 Eagle.
The F-15 Eagle first flew on July 27 1972, after over a decade’s worth of work being put into the project. The F-15 was subsequently entered into USAF service in January 1976 and has been used by many other operators.
F-22
In the 1980’s, the USAF were looking for one aircraft that could serve as the replacement for both the F-15 and F-16. The introduction of the highly maneuverable MiG-29 scared the USAF immensely.
Throughout the 1970’s, the USAF had seen success with stealth aircraft such as the SR-71 and the Blackbird family, all of which had been designed by Lockheed mavericks Kelly Johnson and Ben Rich.
As such, the USAF turned to both Lockheed and Northrop to produce a stealth aircraft that was more advanced than any other fighter jet in history. Lockheed delivered the XF-22, whilst Northrop delivered the XF-23.
Eventually, after much testing, the XF-22 was chosen as the winning aircraft, entering service as the F-22 Raptor. By most accounts the aircraft is stealthiest ever produced and one of the most advanced aircraft ever built.
Due to this, the US Congress has placed a ban on the export of the Raptor, fearing that the aircraft may indeed fall into the hands of the enemy. Instead, the F-35 is offered in its place.
The F-22 first flew as the XF-22 on September 7 1993. Due to the complexities of the aircraft, the F-22 wouldn’t enter service with the USAF until mid-December 2005. The F-22 was withdrawn from production in 2011.
F-15 vs F-22: Specs
The F-15 Eagle has proven to be one of the most adept aircraft the USAF has ever owned. With this, the USAF has commissioned several different variants of the F-15.
On the other hand, the F-22 is only a very recent aircraft, and has since been withdrawn from production.
The most common variant of F-15 Eagle is the F-15C, currently in service with the USAF among others. The most common variant of the F-22 is the F-22A, the only full-scale production variant of the aircraft.
| Specifications | F-15C | F-22A |
|---|---|---|
| Height | 18 ft 6 in (5.64 m) | 16 ft 8 in (5.08 m) |
| Wingspan | 42 ft 10 in (13.06 m) | 44 ft 6 in (13.56 m) |
| Length | 63 ft 9 in (19.43 m) | 62 ft 1 in (18.92 m) |
| Crew | 1 | 1 |
| Aspect Ratio | 3.06 | 2.36 |
| Speed | Mach 2.5 (2,655 km/h; 1,650 mph; 1,434 kn) | Mach 2.25 (1,500 mph, 2,414 km/h, 1,488 kn) |
| Combat Range | 1,061 nmi (1,221 mi, 1,965 km) | 460 nmi (530 mi, 850 km) |
| Service Ceiling | 65,000 ft (20,000 m) | 65,000 ft (20,000 m) |
| G Limits | +9;-3.5 | +9.0/−3.0 |
| Armament | M-61A1 cannon; 4x AIM-9 Sidewinder; 4x AIM-120 AMRAAMs; 8x AIM-120 AMRAAM | M61A2 cannon; 2x AIM-9 ; 6x AIM-120; 2x GBU-32; 2x AIM-120 |
F-15 vs F-22: Costs
After looking at the aircraft’s respective specifications, it may be tempting to declare a winner already. However, cost is always a fact in these types of things, not just specs!
F-15
In 1998, following the release of the F-15C and F-15D, Boeing/McDonnell Douglas was selling the F-15C/D for $29.9 million ($47.8 million today) or the F-15A/B for $27.9 million ($44.6 million today).
Assuming you had Congressional backing and you were the military of a US-friendly nation, you could purchase brand new F-15EX for roughly $138 million. Although, if you purchased a lot of them, you could negotiate a lower price.
However, this is not the only way to acquire a F-15. To date, this has never been tried and is solely a theory. However, assuming you had the right qualifications and money, you could purchase a decommissioned F-15.
With that being said, this decommissioned F-15 would likely be an early F-15A or perhaps an early F-15B. Both of these aircraft would be around forty years old and expensive to maintain.
By most estimates, to purchase a former USAF F-15A/B would set you back anywhere from $5 to $20 million. This would mostly depend on the age, condition and service history of the aircraft you buy.
According to Boeing itself, the F-15 would cost around $27,000 per hour to operate. This figure includes fuel, wages and maintenance. Due to it never having been attempted before, there is no consensus on how much it would cost to insure a private F-15.
F-22
In 2009, Lockheed Martin were offering the F-22A Raptor to the USAF for $150 million per aircraft. Today, this $150 million would be worth roughly $182 million.
Sadly, there is no way that you could legally acquire a used F-22. To date, none have been retired and sent to the aircraft graveyards, meaning it is unlikely you’ll get an old one from the USAF.
Assuming that you were able to buy an F-22 that had been retired and/or shot down, it is unlikely the USAF would sell it to you in working condition. For the most part, this is due to security concerns, rather than anything else.
The aircraft would probably be reduced to a standing display only, either used as a gate guardian or as a museum exhibit. Although, the aircraft would be highly modificed to make sure no classified technology falls into enemy hands.
According to Forbes, the F-22 is one of the most expensive aircraft to operate currently used by the USAF. The F-22 costs roughly $33,000 per hour to operate, including fuel, wages and maintenance.
Due to the fact it has never been tried before, and likely won’t be tried for at least a decade or two, there is no consensus on how much it would cost for a private person to insure a used F-22.
F-15 vs F-22: Operations
Despite being from completely different eras and aircraft generations (with the F-15 being fourth generation and the F-22 being fifth generation) both aircraft have served alongside one another on numerous occasions.
Thankfully, both aircraft have served in the same conflicts as well, including the 21st century’s two most famous conflicts: Afghanistan and Iraq.
F-15
The F-15 was first delivered to the USAF in January 1976. Several months later, the Israeli Air Force took possession of their first F-15s, which were quickly used during Operation Opera, as escorts to Israeli F-16s.
During the first Lebanon War, Israeli F-15s were deployed on a much larger scale once again. This time, the F-15s were deployed as air-superiority fighters against Lebanon’s 1960’s-era MiGs and Sukhois.
The Israelis would continue to use the F-15 in numerous more conflicts throughout the remainder of the 20th and beginning of the 21st centuries. The USFA would first use the F-15s in combat during the First Gulf War.
During the war in Afghanistan, the F-15 was mostly employed as a fighter bomber or light bombers, over Taliban targets. However, the aircraft was grounded for several months following a design defect being found.
Today, the F-15 is primarily used by the USAF, Israeli Air Force, Japanese Air Self-Defense Force and the Royal Saudi Air Force. South Korea also operate the F-15E and NASA also operates the F-15.
F-22
The F-22’s first overseas deployment was to the USAF-owned and operated Kadena Air Force Base, in Japan. The air base has received several different squadrons of Raptors on several occasions.
In 2017, the F-22 was deployed for the first time into an active warzone. Due to the lack of an Afghani air force and the Taliban having none anyway, the F-22 didn’t need to fulfill an air-to-air superiority role.
Instead, the F-22 served alongside B-52s, as bombers. Here, the F-22 mostly attacked the opium fields the Taliban used to generate a revenue (in order to buy their weapons, pay off mercenaries etc.)
During the ongoing conflict in Syria, F-22s have been used as high speed reconnaissance aircraft. These aircraft take pictures of the fighting and report back to the US and UN.
For the vast majority of the aircraft’s service life, it has served as an interceptor. Whenever Russian fighters, reconnaissance aircraft or bombers stray into US airspace, F-22s are there to greet them.
This is due to the F-22 being mostly undetectable by the Russian airborne radars, which often makes it harder for the Russians to detect fleet size, number and movements whilst they are in US airspace.
F-15 vs F-22: Opinions
Looking at specs, costs and operational history will only get you so far. An aircraft may be inferior to another by most counts, but, that’s only half of the story, people’s opinions matter too.
As such, I also spoke to several different groups of people and asked them one (relatively) simple question: “F-15 vs F-22: Which is the better fighter jet?” And the answers were not what you’d probably expect…
Pilots
Luckily, I was able to interview a series of current and former F-15 and F-22 pilots about the F-15 and F-22. One of these pilots had been a USAF F-15 pilot/instructor, before becoming a test pilot and briefly flying the F-22.
As always, the vast majority of F-15 pilots preferred their aircraft, seeing it as the most significant fighter jet in American history, behind only the F-86, F-4, Mustang and Spitfire.
And the F-22 pilots said the same thing, albeit for their own aircraft rather than the F-22. A few also went from the angle of the F-22 being more modern and technologically superior, rather than through significance.
The pilot who’d flown both said that he preferred the F-22 thanks to most of the systems being updated and at the height of 21st century technology. However, he did also appreciate the ruggedness of the F-15 and how it handled.
Avgeeks
Naturally, I had to visit the avgeek community and ask them how they felt about the F-15 and F-22. As always, the responses were an even 50-50 split, with some preferring the F-15 whilst others preferred the F-22.
Many of those who preferred the F-15 said that they preferred the F-15 as it has a lot of history behind it. It has been the USAF’s primary fighter jet for almost 40 years, and has gotten the world through some tough times.
The vast majority of the avgeeks who preferred the F-22 spoke about how cool the F-22 is. The way its engines rumble to the the way the aircraft can perform a 90 degree vertical takeoff!
Public
Looking at what the pilots who fly them and the people who take an interest in the aircraft is one thing. But public opinion is another, and they can often make or break an aircraft. If its sour, the aircraft could be retired early.
For the most part, public opinion for both the F-15 and F-22 are quite positive, with the only real complaint being how expensive the latest variants of each aircraft can be, although, this is nothing compared to the F-35.
Interviewing the public, many of them preferred the F-15. From what I could gather, this was mostly due to it having proved itself in combat for the past 40 years, as well as serving alongside the famous F-14.
With that, many were quite optimistic about the future, especially so with the F-22. Many of them believed that when the F-22 has been in service for as long as the F-15 has, it will be preferred more by the public.
Me
Personally, prior to writing this article, I hadn’t really given the two aircraft much thought. However, in the process of writing this article, I have found myself preferring the F-22 Raptor more and more.
For the most part, this is due to the Raptor’s incredible technology. We don’t actually know much about it, other than the fact that it is more sophisticated than any other aircraft in history.
However, we do know that it is this technology that allows the Raptor to evade most conventional radars. We also know that it is behind the Raptor’s increased maneuverability among other things.
With that being said, I do like the F-15, mostly for the fact that it has proven itself to be the workhorse of the USAF for many years now. However, it is becoming obsolete, and needs to be replaced, regardless of its past.
Summary
Both aircraft are roughly the same size, with the F-15 being only marginally longer and taller than the F-22, which has the longer wingspan. The F-15 also has the capacity to carry more weapons than the F-22.
The F-15 has a much longer combat range, being over double what the F-22 has. On top of the increased range, the F-15 also has a much faster cruise speed than the F-22, although, the F-15 was designed for this purpose.
In terms of maneuverability, the F-15 and F-22 are both evenly matched for the most part, with the F-22 being only marginally more maneuverable. Although, it was designed explicitly for this purpose.
Both the F-15 and F-22 require only one crew member to fully operate the aircraft, the pilot. Surprisingly, both aircraft have the same service ceiling, with them both often using this to its fullest.
The F-15 is surprisingly stealthy, even if it wasn’t explicitly designed for this purpose. Nevertheless, the stealth-designed F-22 still has the smaller aspect ratio, which allows it to fly mostly undetected.
F-15 vs F-22- Which is the better aircraft? Tell me in the comments!