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.
Douglas F-15C Eagle was delivered to the USAF on June 2, 1980 and arrived at Soesterberg November 14, 1980. It was assigned to the 32nd TFS “Wolfhounds”/32nd TFG and became Colonel Stuart L. Alton’s aircraft from June 26, 1985 – Sept. 26, 1986 when he was the Commanding Officer. On September 13, 1990 79-0032 was sent to the Royal Saudi Air Force along with other F-15s. There the aircraft was assigned to the 42nd Squadron as 4217 and later transferred to the 6th Squadron as 617 and later became 217.