Performance and mechanical data are combined here for a faster, more compact read. Values describe the represented model or nearest clearly identified source variant.
Performance and mechanical specifications for F-15 STOL/MTD
Primary role
Short-takeoff and maneuver technology demonstrator
Crew
2
Configuration
Canard/thrust-vectoring demonstrator
Powerplant
2 × Pratt & Whitney F100 turbofans
Top speed
Mach 2 class
Ceiling
Research envelope
Published range
Research sorties
Length
63 ft 9 in
Wingspan / rotor
42 ft 10 in
Weight
Configuration-dependent
02 · SERVICE CHRONOLOGY
FROM ORIGIN TO LEGACY.
A dated sequence follows the airframe from development through operational use and later evolution. The number of milestones follows the story rather than a fixed template, and each note explains why the event mattered—not only what happened.
ORIGIN
The Air Force and NASA began converting the two-seat F-15. [1]
DEVELOPMENT
The STOL/MTD first flew with canards and digital controls. [1]
SERVICE HISTORY
Vectoring/reversing nozzles demonstrated steep approaches and short landings. [1]
Focused facts connect the airframe's systems to the way it was built, flown, or used.
01
Borrowed canards
Modified F/A-18 horizontal tails became foreplanes ahead of the F-15 wing.
02
Vector and reverse
Rectangular nozzles deflected and reversed thrust.
03
Integrated controls
Digital logic coordinated surfaces, canards, and engine nozzles.
05 · HISTORICAL FIELD NOTE
WHY IT MATTERS.
The STOL/MTD transformed an F-15B with canards, digital controls, and two-dimensional thrust-vectoring and reversing nozzles. It demonstrated steep approaches, shorter landings, and post-stall control concepts that fed later NASA research into highly integrated propulsion and flight-control systems. [1]
Reference figures vary by variant, payload, configuration, altitude, test method, and source. Values here are an editorial orientation—not operational or flight-planning data.
Each numbered citation links to an operator, national museum, manufacturer, or established research institution. The scope note tells you exactly what that source supports, and each entry includes its retrieval date.
Where the represented model and source variant differ, the scope is labelled rather than silently treated as an exact match. Read the editorial policy, report a correction through the legal notice, or review 3D-model provenance in the attribution directory.
