In 1967 the U.S. became aware of the Soviet MiG-25 Foxbat. This made it necessary to develop a new aircraft to counter the MiG-25. The USAF rejected the USN F-14 Tomcat and issued its own requirements. The solution came in the form of the McDonnell-Douglas (now Boeing) F-15 Eagle. The F-15A made its inaugural flight in July 1972 and in January 1976 the first Eagle entered service. The "E" entered service in 1989. The F-15 was the first dedicated USAF air superiority fighter since the F-86 Sabre.

The aircraft:

2019 was the 75th Anniversary of D-Day so the 3 squadrons of the 48th FW “Statue of Liberty Wing” stationed at RAF Lakenheath each painted one F-15 depicting the markings of their earlier P-47s. The 493rd F-15C 84-0010 had its vertical stabilizer rudders and Vulcan cannon opening painted blue while the 492nd was red and the 494th was yellow. All 3 aircraft had D-Day invasion stripes on the wings and around the fuselage as well as a red checker board around the nose.

Specifications for the McDonnell Douglas (Boeing) F-15 Eagle
Role
C – Single-seat, all-weather, air-superiority fighter - 483 built D – Dual-seat variant of the C – 92 built E – Dual-seat, all-weather, multi-role strike fighter - 237 built 
Dimensions
Length - C/D/E 63 ft 9 in (19.43 m) Wingspan C/D – 42 ft 10 in (13.06 m) E – 42 ft 9.75 in (13.05 m) Height C/D – 18 ft 8 in (5.69 m) E – 63 ft 9 in (5.63 m) 
Weights
Empty C/D - 28,600 lb (12793 kg) E – 31,700 lb (14,379 kg) Maximum Take-off C/D – 68,000 lb (30,844 kg) E – 81,000 lb (36,741 kg)
Engines
C/D – 2 X P&W F100-PW turbofans with afterburners, each engine rated @ 25,000 thrust (11,250 kg) E/F – Prior to August 1991 - 2 X P&W F100-P-220 turbofans, each rated @ 14,670 ls st (65.26 kN) dry and 23,830 lb st (106.0 kN) with afterburners After August 1991 – 2 X P&W F100-PW-229 turbofans, each rated @ 17,800 lb st (79.18 kN) dry and 29,100 lb st (129.45 kN) with afterburners
Range
C/D Ferry - 3,450 miles (3,000 nm) with CFTs + 3 X external fuel tanks E Ferry – 3,570 miles (3,100 nm) with CFTs + drop tanks With Drop Tanks only – 2,765 miles (2,400 nm) Normal Combat Radius – 790 miles (685 nm) Maximum Combat Radius – 1,150 miles (1,000 nm) 
Speeds
C/D – 1,875 mph (Mach 2.5 +) E Maximum Level Flight Clean @ High Altitude – 1,650 mph (2,655 km/h) Cruise @ Optimum Altitude – 570 mph (917 km/h) Ceiling C/D – 65,000 ft (19,697 m) E – 60,000 ft (18,290 m) 
Armament
C 1 X M-61A1 20mm multi-barrel internal gun, 940 rounds of ammunition 4 X AIM-9L/M Sidewinders And 4 X AIM-7F/M Sparrow missiles Or Missile Combination - AIM-9L/M, AIM-7-F/M and AIM-120 E 1 X M-61A1 20mm multi-barrel internal gun, 512 rounds of ammunition 4 X AIM-9L/M Sidewinder on the under-wing stations And 4 X AIM-7F/M Sparrow missiles conformal fuel tank Maximum 8 X AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles 12 X CBU-52 (6 with wing tanks) 12 X CBU-59 (6 with wing tanks) 12 X CBU-71 (6 with wing tanks) 12 X CBU-87 (6 with wing tanks) 12 X CBU-89 (6 with wing tanks) 20 X MK-20 (6 with wing tanks)