Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:11:17-2:11:45

A carrier-capable F-15 could displace the F/A-18

Designing the F-15 for both land and carrier service could create a shared Air Force-Navy pool and remove much of the requirement that produced the F/A-18.

Carrier AviationF-15 EagleF/A-18Joint ProcurementUS Navy
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Question

What if the F-15 had been designed for carrier operations instead of developing the F-14 path?

Short answer

A joint Air Force-Navy F-15 fleet might have stayed in naval service and displaced the requirement that led to the F/A-18.

Notes

If the F-15 began as a genuinely dual-service aircraft, the Navy might retain it alongside the Air Force. A common pool would make continued upgrades and logistics easier to justify across both services. In that counterfactual, the operational role later filled by the F/A-18 might instead belong to naval F-15 variants.