4529 1/72 F-15C Eagle 85-0093 - Chaos - 44th FS Vampire Bats CENTCOM AOR Sept 2020

In 1967 the U.S. became aware of the Soviet MiG-25 Foxbat. This made it necessary to develop a new aircraft to counter the MiG-25. The USAF rejected the USN F-14 Tomcat and issued its own requirements. The solution came in the form of the McDonnell-Douglas (now Boeing) F-15 Eagle. The F-15A made its inaugural flight in July 1972 and in January 1976 the first Eagle entered service. The “E” entered service in 1989. The F-15 was the first dedicated USAF air superiority fighter since the F-86 Sabre.

U.S. CENTCOM is the United States Central Command mission to deter and protect areas around the world that involve the U.S. national interests and those partners in the regions. Its AOR includes the Middle East, Egypt, Central Asia and parts of South Asia. Between April 2020 and October 2020 CENTCOM deployed 12 F-15Cs of the 44th FS “Vampire Bats”/ 18 Wing based at Kadena Air Base Okinawa Japan to the Prince Sultan AB, in Saudi Arabia. Each of the 12 aircraft wore unique nose art and names; 85-0093 was “Chaos”.