Hobby Master 1/72 HA4523 F-15E Strike Eagle Mountain Home AFB Aircraft Model

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.

On February 22, 1944 a severely damaged B-17 “Mi Amigo” tried to land on a park in Sheffield but the pilot noticed children playing there so he crashed into a treed hillside killing all 10 crew. One of those children, Tony Foulds eventually related the story to the BBC and a 10 aircraft “Mi Amigo 75th Anniversary Flypast” took place on Friday 22nd February 2019. Four F-15E from 494th FS bore names of the 10 U.S. Airmen and executed a missing man formation.