US Air Force,
A flight of Aggressor F-15 Eagles and F-16 Fighting Falcons fly in formation June 5 over the Nevada Test and Training Range. The jets are assigned to the 64th and 65th Aggressor squadrons at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev.
The Aggressor mission is to prepare the combat air forces, joint and allied aircrews for tomorrow's victories with challenging and realistic threat replication, training, academics and feedback.
Aggressor pilots simulate foreign-made combat aircraft and use actual tactics of air forces worldwide.
The F-15 has electronic systems and weaponry to detect, acquire, track and attack enemy aircraft while operating in friendly or enemy-controlled airspace.
The F-15's air superiority is achieved through a mixture of unprecedented maneuverability and acceleration, range, weapons and avionics. The F-16's maneuverability and combat radius (distance it can fly to enter air combat, stay, fight and return) exceeds that of all potential threat fighter aircraft.
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The F-15's superior maneuverability and acceleration are achieved through low wing-loading (the ratio of aircraft weight to its wing area), which is a vital factor in maneuverability and a high thrust-to-weight ratio, which enables the aircraft to turn tightly without losing airspeed.
The F-16 can locate targets in all weather conditions and detect low-flying aircraft in radar ground clutter.
The F-16 can fly more than 500 miles (860 kilometers), deliver its weapons with superior accuracy, defend itself against enemy aircraft, and return to its starting point.
