Boeing F-15E Strike Eagle – 494th FS Panthers, 48th FW, USAF, RAF Lakenheath, England, D-Day 75th Anniversary 2019

Hobby Master 1/72 scale HA4598: Boeing F-15E Strike Eagle serial 91-0603 of 494th FS Panthers, 48th FW, USAF, RAF Lakenheath, England, D-Day 75th Anniversary 2019. Production run of only 500 models.

Length 10.75 inches Wingspan 7.25 inches.

2019 was the 75th Anniversary of D-Day so the 3 squadrons of the 48th TFW stationed at RAF Lakenheath each painted one F-15 depicting the markings of their earlier P-47s. The 492nd aircraft had its vertical stabilizer rudders and Vulcan cannon opening painted red while the 493rd was blue and the 494th “Black Panthers” F-15E 91-0603/LN 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.

Designed to meet US Air Force requirements for an air superiority fighter to replace the F-4 Phantom, the F-15 Eagle first flew on July 27, 1972. The Air Force needed a fighter that could engage long range targets, a skill the F-4 did not possess. The F-15 has a pulse-Doppler radar system, which can track small high-speed targets up to 120 nautical miles away and can lock its missile onto targets up to 50 nautical miles away. With more than 100 aerial combat victories, the F-15 is said to be one of the most successful modern fighters. It is expected to remain in service until 2025.