F-15 Eagle Engaged: The world's most successful jet fighter

by Steve Davies, Doug Dildy

With its twin tail, the F-15 Eagle is probably the most recognizable military jet fighter in the skies today, and is undoubtedly the most successful jet fighter of all time, having never been shot down in combat. Flown not only by the US Air Force but by the air forces of Israel, Saudi Arabi and even Japan, and, with almost 30 years service, the F-15 is the world's leading operational air superiority and interceptor. Steve Davies and Doug Dildy draw on a vast array of sources including combat records, technical documents, and unpublished first-hand accounts from the pilots themselves to tell the story of this amazing plane, detailing such incredible feats as the Israeli F-15 which was successfully landed despite losing a wing. Containing over 100 breathtaking color photographs and comprising detailed technical information, this definitive history and guide to the world's most successful jet fighter is a "must have" for anyone interested in modern aviation.

Genres: Aviation

292 pages, Hardcover

First published October 23, 2007

About the author

Steve Davies is a military and commercial aviation photojournalist based in Cambridge, England. He began writing in 2001, and has since authored eight critically acclaimed books and co-authored four more. His freelance writing includes a plethora of articles penned for the world's leading monthly and quarterly aviation publications, and he has also worked on a range of aviation supplements that have sold millions of copies globally. He has worked as a subject matter expert for a range of military aviation documentaries commissioned by terrestrial television channels in the UK and North America, and by the History Channel. His photography has been used not only by the aviation press, but also by leading defense contractors and aviation corporations.

Reviews

[Max Lovelady · Rating 5 out of 5]

These things are so cool. If I had 150 Million I would buy one. But I am not Elon Musk so...

[Peter Rooijmans]

Aircraft design is the art of making something workable from a set of competing and conflicting requirements. Limiting the set of basic considerations to a couple of key parameters is generally crucial to make a really succesful design. Limiting and prioritizing the requirements is therefore an important and essential task and an art by itself.
When government bureaucracies are involved in this process, then the reality is oftentimes the opposite of this approach. There seems to be a natural tendency to desire a system, which can be everything for everybody, which is of course like chasing after a dream. Such a pursuit might be attractive, especially when you are much into dreaming, but as the main consequences generally are ballooning and uncontrolled costs as well as not really performing well in any domain, it often leads to very expensive disasters.
The F-111 might be mentioned in this respect.
This book deals with the F-15, a very succesful as well as beautiful fighter design, both in performance as in its development history. It might therefore appeal to anyone with an interest in fighter design. Are there any lessons here for the ever more painful saga of the JSF development?

[Calvin Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book on the F15