The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is an American twin-engine, all-weather tactical fighter aircraft designed by McDonnell Douglas (now part of Boeing). Following reviews of proposals, the United States Air Force selected McDonnell Douglas's design in 1969 to meet the service's need for a dedicated air superiority fighter. The Eagle first flew in July 1972, and entered service in 1976. It is among the most successful modern fighters, with over 100 victories and no losses in aerial combat, with the majority of the kills by the Israeli Air Force.[2][3]F-15 EagleF-15, 71st Fighter Squadron, in flight. F-15C during Operation Noble Eagle patrol, 2007RoleAir superiority fighterNational originUnited StatesManufacturerMcDonnell DouglasBoeing Defense, Space & SecurityFirst flight27 July 1972; 49 years agoIntroduction9 January 1976; 46 years agoStatusIn servicePrimary usersUnited States Air ForceJapan Air Self-Defense ForceRoyal Saudi Air ForceIsraeli Air ForceProduced1972–presentNumber builtF-15A/B/C/D/J/DJ: 1,198[1]VariantsMcDonnell Douglas F-15E Strike EagleMcDonnell Douglas F-15 STOL/MTDMitsubishi F-15JThe Eagle has been exported to Israel, Japan, and Saudi Arabia. The F-15 was originally envisioned as a pure air-superiority aircraft. Its design included a secondary ground-attack capability[4] that was largely unused. The aircraft design proved flexible enough that an improved all-weather strike derivative, the F-15E Strike Eagle, was later developed, entered service in 1989 and has been exported to several nations. As of 2021, the aircraft is being produced in several variants.