F-15N Sea Eagle: How the F-15 Fighter Almost Flew From Aircraft Carriers

What You Need to Know: In the 1970s, the U.S. Navy briefly considered replacing the iconic F-14 Tomcat with a modified F-15N Sea Eagle for aircraft carrier operations. The F-15N aimed to be faster, lighter, more maneuverable, and cheaper than the Tomcat, which faced high maintenance costs and mechanical issues, particularly with its TF-30 engines.

-However, despite the F-15N’s promising capabilities, it lacked compatibility with the Navy's powerful AIM-54 Phoenix missile system, which...