The F15 has outstanding manoeuvrability and excellent radar

In addition to the US military, the F15 is used by Japan, Saudi Arabia and Israel.

The latest model, the F15E, which costs about $34m, is produced by Boeing workers in St. Louis.

It is one of the world's leading dual-role fighters, performing air-to-ground and air-to-air missions.

The F15E has two Pratt & Whitney engines, each generating 29,000 pounds of thrust.

The aircraft can reach speeds exceeding twice the speed of sound.

Air-to-air

It can carry up to 23,000 pounds of payload, including air-to-ground weapons and air-to-air weapons.

Its radar provides high-resolution ground-mapping data that enables F-15E crews to identify targets at great distances.

Its infra-red navigation system allows the plane to be flown at high speed and low altitude at night and in bad weather to strike targets with pinpoint precision.

The makers have been making constant improvements to the fighter throughout its life.

The McDonnell Douglas F15 has reigned in the skies since the 1970s

F-15C, D and E models were used in the Persian Gulf in 1991 in support of Operation Desert Storm.

F15 fighters accounted for 36 of the 39 US Air Force air-to-air victories.

F15Es were operated mainly at night, hunting Scud missile launchers and artillery sites using the Lantirn system.

They have since been deployed to support Operation Southern Watch, the patrolling of the UN-sanctioned no-fly zone in Southern Iraq.

They have also been used in Turkey, Bosnia, and recent air expeditionary force deployments.

Control systems

The F15 has electronic systems and weaponry to detect, acquire, track and attack enemy aircraft while operating in friendly or enemy-controlled airspace.

The weapons and flight control systems are designed so one person can safely and effectively perform air-to-air combat.

The F15's superior manoeuvrability and acceleration are achieved through high engine thrust-to-weight ratio and low wing loading.