Beautiful pictures of israeli air force

Jigs · Apr 25, 2010

The F-15I is deployed by the Israeli Air Force where it is known as the Ra'am (רעם - "Thunder"). It is a dual-seat ground attack aircraft powered by two Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229 engines, and is based on the F-15E.

After the Gulf War, in which Israeli towns were attacked by SCUD missiles based in Iraq, the Israeli government decided that it needed a long range strike aircraft. In 1993, Israel issued a Request for Information (RFI) asking any aircraft companies interested in producing the new Israeli fighter for their proposals.

In response, Lockheed Martin offered a version of the F-16 Fighting Falcon and McDonnell Douglas offered both the F/A-18 Hornet and the F-15E. On 27 January 1994, the Israeli government announced that they intended to purchase 21 F-15Es. The F-15E design was modified to Israeli requirements, including the DASH Helmet Mounted Sight and was renamed F-15I. On 12 May 1994, the US Government authorized the purchase of up to 25 F-15Is by Israel. In November 1995, Israel purchased 4 more F-15Is, bringing them to the US imposed limit. 25 were built from 1996 to 1998.
Changes for F-15I

The F-15I Ra'am is very similar to the F-15E except the F-15I has some avionic systems specifically adapted to meet Israeli requirements. To facilitate night-time strikes, the F-15Is were initially fitted with the Sharpshooter targeting pods which were designed for Israeli F-16s. The Sharpshooter pod is less capable than the LANTIRN pods used on the F-15E, so when the United States allowed Israel to buy LANTIRNs they took the offer. This purchase completed the F-15I's night vision suite, with 30 LANTIRNs eventually delivered. After these modifications the F-15I was almost identical to the F-15E. The only significant difference remaining between the F-15I and the F-15E is that the F-15Is were delivered without Radar Warning Receivers. Israel installed its own electronic warfare equipment in its F-15s. The F-15I's missing electronics have been replaced by the Israeli Elisra SPS-2110 Integrated Electronic Warfare System. A central computer and embedded GPS/INS system have also been fitted. All of the aircraft's sensors can be slaved to the Display And Sight Helmet (DASH) helmet-mounted sight, giving both crew members an efficient targeting mechanism that the F-15E does not possess. The Ra'am's advanced systems include an APG-70 radar with terrain mapping capability. The sharp picture that the APG-70 provides, regardless of weather conditions and light, makes it possible to locate targets that are otherwise very hard to find — e.g., missile batteries, tanks and structures — even under such adverse conditions as complete fog cover, heavy rain or moonless nights.

The F-15I is serious business :smitten: