F15 Eagle jet aircraft

F15 behind tanker	The F15 Eagle aircraft of the USAF is still one of the greatest combat jet planes in existance, even now around 30 years after the first example of the aircraft flew in 1972. The Eagle entered service in 1976, four years after it's first flight. F15 aircraft were designed as air superiority aircraft, gaining and maintaining control of the skies above a conflict zone or potential trouble area, thus allowing other aircraft to safely carry out their own missions. To enable it to succeed in this function F15 Eagles can be equiped with a variety of AA ordance including the short range AIM9 Sidewinder heat-seeker, the mid range AIM7 Sparrow or the modern AIM120 AMRAAMS. In addition it carries the shredding power of an M61 Gatling for short range engagements.
Supplying the power for this jet aircraft are two P&W afterburning engines, generating a combined thrust output of over 46,000 lb. This gives the F15 a great power to weight ratio even at full load, and when flying light enables vertical acceleration. The Eagle isn't just about power though, it has a generous size of wing for a modern fighter and this allows a fairly low wing-loading. In flight this converts to high manouverability.	F15e Strike Eagle
	A more recent variant is the F15E Strike Eagle, this machine has the added capability of engaging ground targets and can carry a huge payload of air to ground ordnance in addition to it's usual AA equipment. The Eagle has seen action around the world. It operated over Iraq, where it enforced the no-fly zone that was in effect there in the years after the first Gulf conflict as well as being used during the second clash of 2003. The F15 Eagle is usually to be found in most areas where the US has a presence. Exports have been made to Japan, Israel and Saudi Arabia.

Eagle plastic model kit made by Tamiya

There are numerous plastic model kits available for the Eagle aircraft. Amongst the makers of Eagle kits are Airfix who do a 1/72 scale Strike Eagle, Tamiya who do a very fine 1/48 scale version of the plane (pictured left) and Italeri who manufacture both a 1/72 version of the plane and a 1/48 scale example.