The F-15 Strike Eagle first entered service in January 1976 and
is the primary United States Air Force (USAF) air-superiority
fighter. The F-15 mission is “an all-weather, extremely
maneuverable, tactical fighter designed to permit the Air Force
to gain and maintain air supremacy over the battlefield.” The
USAF has 522 of these fighters in it’s arsenal at a cost of 29.9
million each. Aerodynamically sound the air craft has flown with
one wing completely blown off, delivering pilot and plane safely
back to base.
http://www.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?fsID=101 This is why
“Heavy Metal” on The History Channel is one of my favorite
shows. The F-16 Fighting Falcon pictured here painted with
Thunderbird colors “is a compact, multi-role fighter aircraft.
It is highly maneuverable and has proven itself in air-to-air
combat and air-to-surface attack. It provides a relatively low-
cost, high-performance weapon system for the United States and
allied nations.” Entering service in January 1979 the USAF
maintains 1280