A 96th Test Wing F-15E Strike Eagle flies during a test mission May 22, 2025 over Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. (All images, U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Thomas Barley unless otherwise stated), Exactly 53 years ago, on July 27, 1972, the YF‑15A, prototype of the legendary McDonnell Douglas F-15 fighter, took to the skies for the first time, and to this day it can do what even the F-22 and F-35 cannot, F-15, twin-engine jet fighter produced by the McDonnell Douglas Corporation of the United States. Based on a design proposed in 1969 for an air-superiority fighter, it has also been built in fighter-bomber versions., The F-15 Eagle is an all-weather, extremely maneuverable, tactical fighter designed to gain and maintain air superiority in aerial combat. Features. The Eagle’s air superiority is achieved through a mixture of unprecedented maneuverability and acceleration, range, weapons and avionics., The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle, now known as the Boeing F-15 Eagle, stands as an enduring symbol of United States (US) air superiority. With over 100 victories and zero losses in aerial combat, it has earned its reputation as one of the most fearsome fighter jets in the US arsenal., The F-15 Eagle’s story began in the late 1960s, when the US Air Force was seeking solutions. The Vietnam War had laid bare the shortcomings of then-frontline aircraft like the F-4 Phantom II..