The F-15 Eagle is a small, highly maneuverable jet plane designed to fly combat missions in all weather conditions. Its primary mission is maintaining air superiority. In other words, its ultimate purpose is to defeat other planes in aerial combat.
The United States Air Force commissioned the plane after they got a look at the MiG-25, a powerful fighter jet the Soviet Union unveiled in 1967. The MiG-25, commonly known as "the Fox bat," was far superior to the primary U.S. fighter jet at the time, the F-4 Phantom, and in the heart of the Cold War, the Air Force needed a comparable aircraft as soon as possible. McDonnell Douglas (now merged with Boeing) won the contract for the new project and delivered the finished F-15 a few years later. The company has introduced several variations on this plane since then, as technology and needs have changed (see below). The current combat F-15 Eagle is the F-15C.
The original F-15 Eagle was designed to handle only air-to-air targets (other planes). It wasn't built to bomb targets on the ground because the Air Force knew that the extra equipment would compromise the plane's aerial combat abilities. But when the Air Force needed a fighter bomber to replace the aging F-111 until the new stealth F-117 was ready, they decided to modify the F-15 for air-to-ground missions. The result was the F-15 Strike Eagle, designated F-15E.
The United States Air Force commissioned the plane after they got a look at the MiG-25, a powerful fighter jet the Soviet Union unveiled in 1967. The MiG-25, commonly known as "the Fox bat," was far superior to the primary U.S. fighter jet at the time, the F-4 Phantom, and in the heart of the Cold War, the Air Force needed a comparable aircraft as soon as possible. McDonnell Douglas (now merged with Boeing) won the contract for the new project and delivered the finished F-15 a few years later. The company has introduced several variations on this plane since then, as technology and needs have changed (see below). The current combat F-15 Eagle is the F-15C.
The original F-15 Eagle was designed to handle only air-to-air targets (other planes). It wasn't built to bomb targets on the ground because the Air Force knew that the extra equipment would compromise the plane's aerial combat abilities. But when the Air Force needed a fighter bomber to replace the aging F-111 until the new stealth F-117 was ready, they decided to modify the F-15 for air-to-ground missions. The result was the F-15 Strike Eagle, designated F-15E.
