F-15 Eagle

The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F-15 Eagle is a twin-engine, all-weather tactical fighter designed to gain and maintain air superiority in aerial combat. It was developed for

the United States Air Force, and first flew in July 1972. It is one of the most recognized fighters of the modern day. The F-15E Strike Eagle derivative is an all-weather strike

fighter that entered service in 1989. The U.S Air Force plans to keep the F-15 in service until 2025.
In 1967 U.S. intelligence was surprised[4] to find that the Soviet Union was building a large fighter aircraft, known as the MiG-25 'Foxbat'.[5] It was not known in the West at

the time that the MiG-25 was designed as a high-speed interceptor, (not an air superiority fighter),[6] so its primary asset was speed, not maneuverability. The MiG-25's huge

tailplanes and vertical stabilizers (tail fins) hinted at a very maneuverable aircraft, which worried the Air Force that its performance might be higher than its American

counterparts. In reality, the MiG's large fins and stabilators were necessary to prevent the aircraft from encountering inertia coupling in high-speed, high-altitude flight.
The F-4 Phantom II of the USAF and U.S. Navy was the only fighter with enough power, range, and maneuverability to be given the primary task of dealing with the threat of

Soviet fighters while flying with visual engagement rules.[5] As a matter of policy, the Phantoms could not engage targets without positive visual identification, so they could not

engage targets at long ranges, as designed. Medium-range AIM-7 Sparrow missiles, and to a lesser degree even the AIM-9 Sidewinder, were often unreliable and ineffective at

close ranges where it was found that guns were often the only effective weapon.[7] The Phantom did not originally have a gun, but experience in Vietnam led to the addition of

a gun. An external gun pod was tried and later the M61 Vulcan was integrated internally on the F-4E.