Hobby Master 1/72 HA4502 McDonnell Douglas F-15I Ra'am No. 269, The Hammer Squadron, 2009
Hooby master brings you HA4502 the second 1/72nd Diecast Israeli McDonnell Douglas F-15I Ra'am No. 269, The Hammer Squadron, 2009
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.
In 1998 the IDF began to receive their McDonnell Douglas F-15I Ra’am (Thunder) with the intent to have them operationally ready by late 1998 but because of rising tension in the Persian Gulf. The first F-15I was ready by June 1998, well ahead of original plans. In 1999 three Israeli pilots took part in Red Flag at Nellis AFB using aircraft supplied directly from McDonnell Douglas and carried USAF serials. When the operation was over the aircraft were flown back to Israel by the same pilots. Aircraft with Israeli tail number 269 arrived in Israel on May 27, 1999 and assigned to the 69th Squadron "Ha'patishim" (Hammers).