The McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F-15E Strike Eagle is an all-weather multirole fighter, derived from the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle. The F-15E was designed in the 1980s for long-range, high speed interdiction without relying on escort or electronic warfare aircraft. United States Air Force (USAF) F-15E Strike Eagles can be distinguished from other U.S. Eagle variants by darker camouflage and conformal fuel tanks mounted along the engine intakes.

The Strike Eagle has been deployed in Operation Desert Storm, Operation Allied Force, Operation Enduring Freedom, and Operation Odyssey Dawn carrying out deep strikes against high-value targets, combat air patrols, and providing close air support for coalition troops. It has also seen action in later conflicts and has been exported to several countries.

The F-15E will be upgraded with the Raytheon APG-82 Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar after 2007, and the first test radar was delivered to Boeing in 2010. It combines the processor of the APG-79 used on the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet with the antenna of the APG-63(V)3 AESA being fitted on the F-15C. The new radar upgrade is to be part of the F-15E Radar Modernization Program. The new radar was named APG-63(V)4 until it received the APG-82 designation in 2009. The RMP also includes a wideband radome (to allow the AESA to operate on more radar frequencies), and improvements to the environment control and electronic warfare systems.

While some of the F-15C/Ds have been replaced by the F-22 Raptor, there is no slated replacement for the F-15E in its primary "deep strike" mission profile. The Strike Eagle is a more recent variant of the F-15, and has a sturdier airframe rated for twice the lifetime of earlier variants. The F-15Es are expected to remain in service past 2025. The USAF has pursued the Next-Generation Bomber, a medium bomber concept which could take over the Strike Eagle's "deep strike" profile. The F-35A Lightning II is projected to eventually replace many other attack aircraft such as the F-16 Fighting Falcon and A-10 Thunderbolt II, and may also take over much of the F-15E's role; however, the F-15E has better combat range under payload.

Pictured here is a stunning 1:72 scale diecast replica of a USAF Boeing F-15E Strike Eagle multirole fighter that was nicknamed "Billy the Kid", and attached to the 391st Expeditionary Fighter Squadron "Bold Tigers", during April 2019 and participating in "Operation Inherent Resolve". Sold Out!

Dimensions:
Wingspan: 7-inches
Length: 10-1/2-inches

Release Date: May 2020

Historical Account: "Operation Inherent Resolve" - Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) is the U.S. military's operational name for the military intervention against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIL, in the vernacular, Daesh), including both the campaign in Iraq and the campaign in Syria. Since August 21st, 2016, the U.S. Army's XVIII Airborne Corps has been responsible for Combined Joint Task Force - Operation Inherent Resolve (CJTF-OIR). The campaign is primarily waged by American air forces in support of local allies, most prominently the Iraqi security forces and Syrian Democratic Forces. Combat ground troops, mostly special forces and artillery, have also been deployed, especially in Iraq. 75-80% of the airstrikes have been conducted by the military of the United States, with the other 20-25% by the United Kingdom, France, Turkey, Canada, the Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan.

According to the Pentagon, by March 23rd, 2019, the day of ISIL's territorial defeat in Syria, CJTF-OIR and partner forces had liberated nearly 110,000 square kilometers (42,471 square miles) of land and 7.7 million people from ISIL, the vast majority of the self-proclaimed caliphate's territory and subjects. By October 2017, around the time of ISIL's territorial defeat in Iraq, CJTF-OIR claimed that around 80,000 ISIL militants had been killed in all actions excluding those targeted by Russian and Syrian strikes. At that time of that statement, the coalition had conducted 28,198 strikes, and by the end of August 2019 it had conducted 34,573 strikes. Tens of thousands more were killed by partner forces on the ground (the Syrian Democratic Forces alone claimed to have killed 25,336 ISIL fighters by the end of 2017).