F-15C Eagle

"The F-15 Eagle is an air superiority fighter type of aircraft. It was manufactured by McDonnell Douglas now known as Boeing IDS. Its maiden flight was on the 27th of July 1972 and was introduced on the 9th of January 1976. Its primary users are the United States Air Force, Israeli Air Force, Japan Air Self-Defense Force, and Royal Saudi Air Force. It was designed and developed as an all-weather tactical. 567 of this type of aircraft are still active. The Air Force was worried about the new aircrafts that were built by the Soviet Union for combat so they issued their own requirements after they rejected the United States Navy VFX program which they think was not suited to their needs. Three companies submitted their proposals and on the 23rd of December 1969 the selection for McDonnell Douglas was announced. The F-15C Eagle was operated by Israel, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and the United States. The Israel Air Force has been operating the aircraft since 1977. The Japan Air Self-Defence Force received 203 F-15Js and 20 F-15DJs in 1980 -- two of the F-15Js and twelve F-15DJs were made in United States. The Royal Saudi Air Force operated four squadrons of F-15C/D in 1981. And currently the United States Air Force operates 396 F-15C/Ds while the Air National Guard operates 126 F-15C/Ds in 2006. "