How the F-15E “Strike Eagle” Took the Place of the F-111 Aardvark

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The US Air Force’s shift from the F-111 Aardvark—a dedicated electronic warfare—to the more versatile F-15E Strike Eagle illustrated the changing priorities of the post-Cold War era.

The F-111 Aardvark was an innovative deep-strike platform designed during the Cold War. By the 1990s, however, the F-111 was aging and maintenance-heavy; despite being so innovative, it served only a narrow role at a time when multirole flexibility was becoming standard. To replace the F-111, and to field a platform capable of more than just deep strike, the Air Force modified its F-15 fighter into a multirole deep-strike platform, the F-15E Strike Eagle, which has served for 40 years as a flexible, multirole staple of US forces.

Why the Air Force Swapped the F-111 for the F-15E

The F-111’s original missions were deep strike,........

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