Once upon a time, the United States was genuinely worried about another country: the Soviet Union. Each nation was trying to keep one step ahead of the other in order to stay alive in a potential war that, fortunately, never happened. It would be greatly concerning, then, that among the problems encountered in Vietnam were slow, outdated, Soviet-made MiG-17s. The US Air Force attempted to use the Navy’s F-4s to solve the problem, but the big fighter-bomber was never intended to fight light and nimble MiG fighters. To make problems even worse, the super-fast and high-climbing MiG-25 “Foxbats,” introduced in 1967, broke several speed, climb and altitude records. Top brass was fed-up with compromise-laden multi-purpose aircraft and demanded a purpose-built fighter that would put the Foxbat to shame.

A competition was held to develop the new “F-X” plane and aircraft company McDonnell Douglas won. Introduced in 1976, the resulting F-15 “Eagle” exceeded all expectations. Its large, seamless shape gave it both speed and agility. It had a highly-capable radar that was optimized to track down MiGs from a distance. The two, side-by-side engines provided far more power than it possibly needed (save for an unforeseen, famous accident in the future). The Americans had once again outdone themselves, so it was no surprise that the Eagle’s first major period of conflict involved turning several MiGs (including two of those scary Foxbats), into scrap metal, with no losses. There was a catch, however: the United States wasn’t flying those planes.

Since its dawn as an industrial powerhouse, the United States has a strong, proud tradition of selling military goods to its friends. That practice saw widespread use in both World Wars where initial American involvement was limited to selling supplies to the Allies. The World Wars were then followed by the Cold War, an international game of chess where the United States and Soviet Union strengthened developing nations in an effort to support or slow the spread of communism. That’s how the aforementioned North Vietnamese acquired advanced fighter planes. It’s also how Israel, along with Saudi Arabia and Japan (through a Mitsubishi build), acquired America’s shiny new F-15 Eagles.

Locked in almost non-stop war since its founding, Israel has perhaps been the most impressive example of the F-15 capabilities, since American F-15 fighters have battled only Saddam Hussein’s Air Force (which it tore to shreds), and various NATO adversaries. Israel, on the other hand, has been fighting Lebanon and Syria, countries backed by the Soviet Union, in the past and armed to the teeth with MiGs. In a period of conflict that permeated the 1980s, Israel’s F-15s (which they named “Baz”), knocked out countless MiGs without a single loss. The majority of F-15 victories—between Israel, Japan, Saudi Arabia and its creator and main operator, the United States—have been scored by Israel.

In addition to combat perfection, Israeli F-15s have found more novel ways to impress. In test trials, the Eagle embarrassed its equally advanced brother, the F-14 “Tomcat” (famously featured in the film "Top Gun"). The Tomcat can get a pass, however, as it was a Navy plane built to defend aircraft carriers, and just like the F-4, modern purpose-built jets often have a tough time doing jobs they weren’t meant to do. The F-15, however, didn’t care. When Israel needed a decent plane to attack targets on the ground, they used the F-15. In its highly controversial 1985 Operation Wooden Leg, Israel flew eight F-15s all the way to Tunisia. Instead of taking out MiGs, it attacked an enemy building on the ground, a job that its A-4s were meant for. A year after, McDonnell Douglas created the F-15E “StrikeEagle”, an F-15 designed to do exactly what Israel had just flawlessly demonstrated.

Perhaps the most impressive (and iconic) F-15 feats were pulled by Israeli pilots over Negev in 1983. During a training exercise, an F-15 accidentally collided with an A-4, putting the F-15 in a deadly spin. After the pilot stabilized the aircraft, he decided to land it ASAP. Once he had landed at a dangerously high speed and the smoke cleared, he climbed out to realize that the plane’s rightwing had been torn off. Due to the plane’s sleek design and overpowered engines, it was able to use the rest of its body as a large, rocket-powered wing. Because they could, Israel repaired the wing and returned the F-15 to combat, where it continued to eat MiGs for breakfast.

To this day, not a single F-15 Eagle operated by any country has been lost in combat. For over 40 years, the F-15 and its variants have remained in production, outlasting both its contemporaries and its intended replacements. Instead of buying a bunch of shiny new F-35s—equipped with stealth, cutting-edge technology and a helmet that can see through the plane—Israel has decided to buy more F-15s and continue to use the Baz as its primary fighter jet. Until one gets shot down, it’ll be tough to argue against such a decision.


Correction: The article previously stated that no F-15s have been lost to combat. While that is true for air-to-air combat, two F-15E Strike Eagles were lost to Iraqi missiles during Operation Desert Storm.