Profile
- Type
- Two-seat multirole strike aircraft
- Conflict side
- Yemeni government and coalition forces
- Origin
- United States
- Service note
- Saudi F-15E-derived strike variant supplied in the 1990s and sustained through later F-15S/F-15SA programs
Aircraft & UAVs
F-15S strike aircraft
The F-15S is Saudi Arabia's export strike version of the F-15E Strike Eagle, built for two-crew, long-range air-to-ground attack while retaining fighter performance. In the Yemen Civil War record, it represents the Royal Saudi Air Force's F-15 strike component in the Saudi-led coalition air campaign, with open reporting documenting an F-15S operating over Yemen and being targeted by Houthi-aligned air defenses.
- Conflict side
- Yemeni government and coalition forces
- Built by
- McDonnell Douglas; Boeing
- Built in
- United States
Service History
- In service
- Royal Saudi Air Force F-15S fleet later supported by F-15S re-engining, sustainment, and F-15SA upgrade programs
- Used by
- Royal Saudi Air Force
- Wars
- Yemen Civil War
Production History
- Designer
- McDonnell Douglas
- Designed
- F-15E-derived export variant supplied to Saudi Arabia in the 1990s
- Built by
- McDonnell Douglas; Boeing
- Built in
- United States
- Unit cost
- Not publicly isolated for the F-15S variant
- Produced
- 1990s Saudi export deliveries; later upgrade and sustainment programs continued
- Number built
- Saudi F-15S fleet documented in U.S. and manufacturer sources through 70-aircraft upgrade and re-engining programs
- Variants
- F-15S, F-15SA, F-15SR upgrade configuration
- Developed from
- F-15E Strike Eagle
Specifications
- Crew
- 2: pilot and weapon systems officer
- Primary role
- Air-to-ground attack and multirole strike
- Power plant
- Two afterburning turbofan engines; Saudi F-15S aircraft were re-engined with GE F110-GE-129C engines under later programs
- Maximum takeoff weight
- About 81,000 lb for the F-15E baseline
- Maximum speed
- About Mach 2.5 plus for the F-15E baseline
- Ferry range
- About 2,400 miles with conformal fuel tanks and three external tanks for the F-15E baseline
- Armament
- Internal 20 mm gun plus air-to-air missiles and air-to-surface weapons depending on configuration and mission
Conflict Usage
- Yemen Civil War
- Side: Yemeni government and coalition forcesRole: Coalition strike and air-interdiction aircraft
Royal Saudi Air Force F-15S strike aircraft were used by Saudi-led coalition forces over Yemen; a January 2018 incident placed an RSAF F-15S over Yemen where Houthi-aligned forces claimed to target it with a surface-to-air missile.
F-15S strike aircraft Images
Related Weapon Systems
F-15 BazMultirole fighterThe F-15 Baz is the Israeli Air Force designation for the F-15A/B/C/D Eagle family, adapted for Israeli air-superiority and strike missions. During the Israel-Hamas War, open-source defense reporting showed Baz aircraft carrying JDAMs on strike sorties against Hamas targets in Gaza, demonstrating how older F-15 airframes remained central to Israel's high-payload air campaign.
F-15E Strike EagleDual-role strike fighterThe F-15E Strike Eagle is a two-seat U.S. Air Force dual-role fighter built for long-range interdiction, precision attack, and self-escorted air-to-air combat. Its conformal fuel tanks, targeting/navigation pods, radar, and two-person cockpit allow it to strike ground targets day or night while retaining fighter performance, a role documented in Operation Inherent Resolve and later U.S.-Iran combat operations.
AH-64 Apache attack helicopterTwin-engine attack helicopterThe AH-64 Apache is a U.S. twin-engine attack helicopter built for armed reconnaissance, close combat, and precision attack missions with a 30 mm chain gun, rockets, and Hellfire missiles. In the United States-Iran Conflict, official Operation Epic Fury material identified Apaches among U.S. assets, and DVIDS imagery documented AH-64E aircraft from the 82nd Airborne Division operating with rockets and Hellfire missiles in the CENTCOM area..jpg?width=480)
Eurofighter TyphoonTwin-engine multirole combat aircraftThe Eurofighter Typhoon is a twin-engine, canard-delta multirole fighter built by the European Eurofighter consortium. In the Yemen Civil War context, Royal Saudi Air Force Typhoons are documented as coalition combat aircraft used for airstrike and interdiction missions, supported by UK-supplied weapons and fleet-support arrangements.
Mk 82 fitted with a Paveway- or Lizard-series guidance kit500-pound guided air-delivered bombA Mk 82 500-pound bomb fitted with a Paveway- or Lizard-series guidance kit becomes a laser-guided precision bomb. In the Israel-Hamas War, open-source reporting documented Gaza remnants marked for use on Mk82, tying this configuration to Israeli airstrikes.
MQ-9 ReaperMedium-altitude long-endurance unmanned combat aerial vehicleThe MQ-9 Reaper is a General Atomics medium-altitude, long-endurance remotely piloted aircraft built for persistent intelligence collection and precision strike. Larger and more powerful than the MQ-1 Predator, it combines satellite control, electro-optical and infrared sensors, laser designation, and weapons such as Hellfire missiles and guided bombs, making it a recurring U.S. and coalition platform in counterterrorism, maritime-security, and regional-strike operations.Sources
Houthi Rebels Release FLIR Video Showing Shoot Down of Saudi F-15S Over YemenPublisher: The War Zone | Note: Supports Yemen Civil War direct use by reporting a Royal Saudi Air Force F-15S used by Saudi-led coalition forces over Yemen and targeted by Houthi-aligned forces. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Yemen's Houthis Claim Saudi F-15 Kill with SAM Over Capital City of SanaaPublisher: The Aviationist | Note: Supports Yemen Civil War direct use by describing a Saudi F-15 used over Sanaa and identifying the Royal Saudi Air Force F-15S as a ground-attack/multirole aircraft in the Saudi-led air war context. | Accessed: 2026-06-20F-15E Strike Eagle Fact SheetPublisher: U.S. Air Force | Note: Supports F-15E baseline specifications, role, contractor, crew, speed, range, maximum takeoff weight, and armament context for the F-15S derivative. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Royal Saudi Air Force Orders Additional GE F110 Engines for F-15S AircraftPublisher: GE Aerospace | Note: Supports F-15S background and powerplant context by documenting RSAF F-15S re-engining with F110-GE-129C engines. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Saudis Purchase F-15s, Upgrade FleetPublisher: U.S. Air Force | Note: Supports background on Saudi plans to purchase F-15SA aircraft and upgrade the existing F-15S fleet. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - F-15 SustainmentPublisher: Defense Security Cooperation Agency | Note: Supports current Royal Saudi Air Force F-15 fleet sustainment background. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Royal Saudi Air Force F-15S Eagle ImagePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Supports image provenance for the public-domain primary image of a Royal Saudi Air Force F-15S Eagle. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Royal Saudi Air Force F-15 Strike Eagles over the Red SeaPublisher: DVIDS | Note: Supports image provenance for a public-domain U.S. Air Force photo showing Royal Saudi Air Force F-15 Strike Eagles over the Red Sea. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Royal Saudi Air Force F-15s Join U.S. Air Force Presence PatrolPublisher: DVIDS | Note: Supports image provenance for a public-domain U.S. Air Force photo showing Royal Saudi Air Force F-15s in regional formation flight. | Accessed: 2026-06-20