Tamiya America Kit Number 6424 McDonnell Douglas F-15A Eagle

The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F-15 Eagle is a twin-engine, all-weather tactical fighter designed by McDonnell Douglas to gain and maintain air superiority in aerial combat. It is considered among the most successful modern fighters with over 100 aerial combat victories with no losses in dogfights.[3][4] Following reviews of proposals, the United States Air Force selected McDonnell Douglas' design in 1967 to meet the service's need for a dedicated air superiority fighter. The Eagle first flew in July 1972, and entered service in 1976. The F-15 is expected to be in service with the U.S. Air Force past 2025.

Since the 1970s, the Eagle has also been exported to Israel, Japan, and Saudi Arabia. Despite originally being envisioned as a pure air superiority aircraft, the design proved flexible enough that an all-weather strike derivative, the F-15E Strike Eagle, was later developed, and entered service in 1989.

Following studies in 1964--1965, the U.S. Air Force developed requirements for an air superiority fighter in October 1965. Then on 8 December 1965, the Air Force issued a request for proposals (RFP) for the new fighter. The request called for both air-to-air and air-to-ground capabilities. Eight companies responded with proposals. In the following study phase, four of these companies developed some 500 design concepts. Typical designs featured variable-sweep wings, weighed over 60,000 lb (27,200 kg), included a top speed of Mach 2.7 and a thrust-to-weight ratio of 0.75.[6] The designs were not accepted by the Air Force as they compromised fighter qualities for ground attack qualities. Acceptance of the Energy-Maneuverability (E-M) theory by the Air Force led to a change in requirements for improved maneuverability by the spring 1967. The design mission weight was reduced to 40,000 lb (18,100 kg), top speed reduced to Mach 2.3--2.5 and thrust-to-weight ratio increased to 0.97.

In 1967 U.S. intelligence was surprised to find that the Soviet Union was producing a large fighter aircraft, the MiG-25 'Foxbat'. It was not known in the West at the time that the MiG-25 was designed as a high-speed interceptor, not an air superiority fighter,[10] so its primary asset was speed, not maneuverability. The MiG-25's huge tailplanes and vertical stabilizers (tail fins) hinted at a very maneuverable aircraft, which worried the Air Force that its performance might be better than its U.S. counterparts. In reality, the MiG's large fins and stabilators were necessary to prevent the aircraft from encountering inertia coupling in high-speed, high-altitude flight.

MCDONNELL DOUGLAS F-15 STREAK EAGLE (72-0119)

One stripped and unpainted F-15A, demonstrated the fighter's acceleration – broke eight time-to-climb world records between 16 January and 1 February 1975. It was delivered to the National Museum of the United States Air Force in December 1980.

The museum's single-seat F15A, nicknamed "Streak Eagle," broke eight time-to-climb world records between Jan. 16 and Feb. 1, 1975. In setting the last of the eight records, it reached an altitude of 98,425 feet just 3 minutes, 27.8 seconds from brake release at takeoff and "coasted" to nearly 103,000 feet before descending. It was flown in its natural metal finish to reduce weight for the record-setting flights. To protect it from corrosion, McDonnell Douglas Corp. has since painted it in the gray color scheme of most operational F-15s.

"Streak Eagle" is an early preproduction aircraft. Differences in internal structure and systems operation made it too costly to return to operational service. It was delivered to the museum in December 1980 after it was no longer useful as a flight test vehicle.

Between Jan. 16 and Feb. 1, 1975, an F-15A nicknamed "Streak Eagle" broke eight time-to-climb world records. It reached an altitude of 98,425 feet just 3 minutes 27.8 seconds from brake release at takeoff and coasted to nearly 103,000 feet before descending.

The first Eagle entered service in November 1974 with the 58th Tactical Training Wing at Luke Air Force Base, Ariz. The first Air Force air defense squadron to transition to the F-15 was the 48th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron at Langley Air Force Base, Va., in January 1982. By 1989, more than 1,200 Eagles were in service; most were built by McDonnell Douglas in St. Louis, Mo., and more than 110 were built by Mitsubishi of Japan.

The single-seat F-15C and two-seat F-15D models were followed by the two-seat, dual-role F-15E "Strike Eagle," the world's most technologically advanced fighter. With increased payload capacity, the F-15E flew for the first time on Dec. 11, 1986. The F-15E Strike Eagle can fly higher than 50,000 feet at more than Mach 2.5. It can fly air-to-air, air-to-ground, long-range, day or night missions, in any kind of weather.

The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is regarded as one of the most formidable jet fighters in the world today. Ever since its maiden flight in July 1972, this record breaking flying machine has been a yardstick for jet fighter design. Powered by two Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-100 turbofan engines, it is capable of speeds in the Mach 2.5 range.

The F-15 Eagle can carry a heavy and devastating complement of weaponry such as its internal 20mm M-61A-1 rotary cannon, plus four AIM-9L Sidewinder missiles, and four AIM-7F Sparrow anti-aircraft missiles. The early production F-15 was designated the F-15A, while the two-seat version was called the B model.

In 1979, an improved and upgraded F-15 was introduced. One notable change was a 15% increase in internal fuel capacity, while even more fuel was made possible by utilizing conformal tanks that snuggle beneath the wing ad against the jet inlet ramps. In order to accept this extra fuel weight, the landing gear had to be reinforced. These modified F-15's are called the C-type for the single-seater and F-15D for the two seat version. The F-15C owes its superb performance to many technological and electronic wonders, and shall certainly continue to play its role as an air superiority fighter for many years to come.