The F-15 Streak Eagle
On November 9, 2023, the National Museum of the US Air Force stated on Facebook that the F-15 Streak Eagle would be painted bare metal to match the record-setting time.
Dubbed “Streak Eagle,” F-15A AF Ser. No. 72-0119, flown by Maj. W.R. Macfarlane, Maj. Roger Smith, and Maj. Dave Peterson broke eight world records for the fastest time to climb between January 16 and February 1, 1975. It broke the last eight records when it took off and reached an altitude of 98,425 feet in just 3 minutes and 27.8 seconds. After that, it “coasted” to almost 103,000 feet before starting to descend.
To save weight for flights that would establish records, it was flown in its natural metal finish. The “Streak Eagle” is an early preproduction aircraft.” Returning to operational service would have been too expensive due to differences in internal structure and system operation.
After it was no longer functional as a flight test vehicle, it was donated to the museum in December 1980. McDonnell Douglas painted it in the gray color scheme of the majority of F-15s in service to prevent corrosion.
The F-15 Eagle
When the company was chosen to compete in the US Air Force’s FX competition, McDonnell Aircraft formalized the concept for the F-15 in 1967. Faced with the F-4 Phantom II, which was becoming known as a formidable fighter, McDonnell applied lessons acquired from the Vietnam War to his competition against Fairchild Hiller and North American Rockwell.
Following over two years of rigorous evaluation and testing, the Air Force awarded McDonnell Douglas the contract for the F-15 Advanced Tactical Fighter on December 23, 1969. Out of the three competitors, the McDonnell Douglas team had the lowest contract price and placed first in each phase of the competition.
The first US fighter to have engine thrust greater than the normal weight of the aircraft
The USAF acquired the Eagle in November 1974, having flown it for the first time in July 1972. It was the first American fighter to accelerate during a vertical climb because the engine thrust was higher than the aircraft’s normal weight. The Eagle is incredibly agile thanks to this and its low aircraft weight to wing area. There were single-seat and two-seat models of the Eagle.
Photo by U.S. Air Force