McDonnell Douglas F-15C Eagle – 493rd FS Grim Reapers, 48th FW RAF Lakenheath 1/48

Armour/ Franklin Mint 1/48 scale 98049: McDonnell Douglas F-15C Eagle #86-014 of 493rd FS Grim Reapers, 48th FW USAF, RAF Lakenheath 2000. Fixed lowered undercarriage. Does not come with a stand stand.

Length 14 inches Wingspan 10.5 inches

During the Gulf war on 20 March 1991 F-15C 84-014 piloted by John Doneski shot down an Iraqi Sukhoi Su-22 Fitter with a AIM=9M sidewinder missile.

NATO launched an air campaign, Operation Allied Force, in March 1999 to halt the humanitarian catastrophe that was then unfolding in Kosovo. The decision to intervene followed more than a year of fighting within the province and the failure of international efforts to resolve the conflict by diplomatic means. The 493rd FS would claim four Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Air Force (FRYAF) MiG-29s destroyed during the brief campaign.

The first MiG-29 kill that night fell to Lt Col Cesar Rico Rodriguez, a double MiG-killing veteran of Desert Storm. Rodriguez (in F-15C 86-0169) claimed his third kill while flying OCA over the war-torn city of Pristina. 84-014 was Ricos assigned jet. However, he was flying 86-0169 when he scored the kill as Rico himself confirmed to The Aviation Geek Club. The Kill marking was incorrectly applied to 84-014 as well as 86-0169.

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 beyond 2025.