Background:
The F-15I Raam is without question the meanest strike fighter in the arsenal of the Israeli Defense Forces / Air Force ( IDF/AF). A freshly developed and battle-tested F-15E Strike Eagle was almost immediately wanted by Israeli air force officials, however serious diplomatic moves had to be made first to get the US authorize the sale of their highly prized aircraft. Israel (as many times in the past) utilized their special diplomatic relationship with the US to be able to get an aircraft into their inventory which was normally not on sale by the US to foreign countries.
The F-15I is operated by the Israeli Air Force where it is known as the Ra'am (רעם – "Thunder"). It is a dual-seat ground attack aircraft powered by two Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229 engines, and is based on the F-15E.
The F-15I Ra'am is similar to the F-15E, but features several different avionic systems to meet Israeli requirements. To facilitate night-time strikes, the F-15Is were initially fitted with Sharpshooter targeting pods designed for Israeli F-16s. The Sharpshooter pod was less capable than the LANTIRN pods used on USAF F-15Es; Israel later purchased 30 LANTIRN pods. The F-15Is initially lacked Radar Warning Receivers, Israel installed its own electronic warfare equipment, the Elisra SPS-2110, as well as a new central computer and embedded GPS/INS system. All sensors can be slaved to the Display And Sight Helmet (DASH) helmet-mounted sight, providing both crew members a means of targeting which the F-15E lacks. The F-15I uses the APG-70I radar; its terrain mapping capability can locate targets difficult to spot while under adverse weather conditions. The radar can detect large airliner-sized targets at 150 nautical miles, and fighter-sized targets at 56 nautical miles, it has a reduced resolution one-third below the standard USAF APG-70.
Sources:
http://www.f-15e.info/joomla/en/export- ... evelopment
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McDonnell ... agle#F-15I
- Kit manufacturer: Academy (12217).
Scale: 1/48
Type: Israeli F-15I Ra'am.
Extras used: Eduard colour photo-etch for the cockpit (set FE512) and Aires ACES II Resin seats and photo-etch (set 4144).
Paints and colours used: Primer = Tamiya XF-19. Camo work = Mr Hobby aqueous - H310 - Brown FS30219, Mr Hobby aqueous - H74 - Sky, Mr Hobby aqueous - H313 - Yellow FS33531. Nose cone = Mr Hobby aqueous - H307 - Grey FS36320. Underside = Mr Hobby aqueous - H308 - Grey FS36375. Other paints were Mr Hobby aqueous - H1 - White gloss, Tamiya XF-69 Nato Black, Tamiya XF- Rubber black, Tamiya XF-57 buff, Tamiya XF-20 medium grey, Tamiya XF-22 RLM grey, Tamiya XF-84 dark iron, Tamiya X-7 red, Tamiya X-28 green, Tamiya XF-3 yellow. Various Mr hobby mtelizers. Sealing coats used were Pledge/Klear and W&N satin varnish. For weathering, Flory Models Sand, light and dark dirt and W&N Raw umber artists oils and MIG Abteilung 502 engine grease.
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