Profile
- Type
- Air superiority and multirole fighter
- Conflict side
- Israel
- Origin
- United States
- Service note
- Israeli service from 1976; upgraded A/B/C/D Baz fleet remains in service
Aircraft & UAVs
F-15 Baz
The F-15 Baz is Israel's name for its McDonnell Douglas F-15A/B/C/D Eagle fleet, originally acquired as an air-superiority fighter and later upgraded for multirole air-to-air and air-to-ground missions. Israeli Baz aircraft are distinct from the F-15I Ra'am strike variant, but retained long-range fighter value in modern Israeli operations, including documented use over Iran during Operation Rising Lion.
- Conflict side
- Israel
- Built by
- McDonnell Douglas
- Built in
- United States
Service History
- In service
- Israeli Air Force service from 1976
- Used by
- Israeli Air Force
- Wars
- Israel-Iran Conflict
Production History
- Designer
- McDonnell Douglas
- Designed
- Late 1960s to early 1970s
- Built by
- McDonnell Douglas
- Built in
- United States
- Unit cost
- USAF F-15A/B: $27.9 million; F-15C/D: $29.9 million in FY1998 constant dollars
- Produced
- F-15A/B/C/D production from the 1970s through the 1990s
- Number built
- Israel purchased 104 F-15 aircraft of several variants, including F-15A/B/C/D and F-15I
- Variants
- F-15A Baz, F-15B Baz, F-15C Baz, F-15D Baz, Baz Meshupar
- Developed from
- McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle
Specifications
- Crew
- One in F-15A/C; two in F-15B/D
- Powerplant
- Two Pratt & Whitney F100 afterburning turbofan engines
- Maximum speed
- Mach 2 class; USAF fact sheet lists 1,875 mph
- Service ceiling
- 65,000 ft (19,812 m)
- Ferry range
- Up to 3,450 miles with conformal and external fuel tanks
- Armament
- M61A1 20 mm cannon plus air-to-air missiles; Israeli service has also integrated air-to-ground weapons on upgraded aircraft
- Dimensions
- Length 19.44 m; wingspan 13 m; height 5.6 m
Conflict Usage
- Israel-Iran Conflict
- Side: IsraelRole: Long-range strike fighter
An Israeli Air Force F-15 Baz was reported in July 2025 to have been en route to a strike near Tehran during Operation Rising Lion, with an emergency tanker launch resolving a fuel-system malfunction while the aircraft operated deep over Iran.
Related Weapon Systems
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Arash-2Long-range one-way attack UAV / loitering munitionThe Arash-2 is an Iranian long-range one-way attack UAV, also described as a loitering munition or suicide drone, associated with the Islamic Republic of Iran Army Ground Forces. Open sources describe it as a larger Arash/Kian-family strike system with rocket-assisted launch, reported passive-radar or seeker options, and claimed ranges up to about 2,000 km for attacks on fixed or emitting targets.
F-15I Ra'amTwo-seat long-range strike fighterThe F-15I Ra'am is Israel's customized two-seat Strike Eagle variant, combining Boeing/McDonnell Douglas airframe performance with Israeli avionics, electronic-warfare systems, and precision-strike integration. Its range, payload, and all-weather attack capability make it a central Israeli deep-strike aircraft, with directly documented use in recent operations against Iran, Hezbollah, and Houthi targets.
F-16I SufaTwo-seat multirole fighter aircraftThe F-16I Sufa is Israel's customized two-seat F-16D Block 52+ derivative, built by Lockheed Martin with Israeli mission systems, conformal fuel tanks, a missionized rear cockpit, advanced radar, and compatibility with precision air-to-surface weapons. Its recent documented use centers on Israeli strike operations in Gaza, Lebanon, and the 2025 Israel-Iran air campaign..jpg?width=480)
F-35 Lightning IIFifth-generation stealth multirole fighterThe F-35 Lightning II is a single-seat, single-engine stealth fighter family built around sensor fusion, networked targeting, and multirole strike missions. U.S. and Israeli variants have documented post-2015 combat use, including Marine Corps F-35B strikes in Afghanistan, U.S. Air Force F-35A escort and air-defense suppression over Iran, and Israeli F-35I air-to-air combat against Iran.
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.
F-35C Lightning IICarrier-based stealth multirole fighterThe F-35C Lightning II is the carrier variant of the Joint Strike Fighter, built for catapult launches and arrested landings with larger wings, folding wingtips, strengthened landing gear, internal fuel for long-range carrier operations, and a sensor suite intended for strike, air-to-air, reconnaissance, and electronic-warfare missions. U.S. Marine Corps F-35Cs made the variant's first documented combat strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen in 2024, and an F-35C was later reported shooting down an Iranian Shahed-139 drone near USS Abraham Lincoln in 2026.Sources
F-15 Eagle Fact SheetPublisher: U.S. Air Force | Note: Supports baseline F-15 mission, manufacturer, powerplant, dimensions, range, speed, crew, armament, and unit-cost data. | Accessed: 2026-06-20IAF Aircraft Inventory: McDonnell Douglas F-15 EaglePublisher: Jewish Virtual Library | Note: Supports Israeli F-15 acquisition history, Baz naming, variant deliveries, and Israeli-service background. | Accessed: 2026-06-20F-15A 'Baz' Upgraded Cockpit Seen In Rare Israeli Air Force PhotoPublisher: The War Zone | Note: Supports background on Israel's upgraded F-15A-D Baz fleet and its multirole air-to-air and air-to-ground role. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Israeli F-15 Fighter Jet Almost Forced to Land in Tehran in Mid-Air Fuel Tank FirePublisher: The Jerusalem Post | Note: Directly supports F-15 Baz operational use during Operation Rising Lion in the Israel-Iran Conflict. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Israeli Air Force F-15D Baz 957Publisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Image provenance and licensing page for an Israeli Air Force F-15D Baz, licensed CC BY-SA 3.0. | Accessed: 2026-06-20