The latest version of the Eagle—officially called the Eagle II—is what will carry aviators into that life-or-death contest. The C and D model F-15s are getting old, so this is what will replace them. The plane flew for the first time in the early 1970s, the F-15 is one of the best air-to-air fighters in history. To be able to see distant adversaries, the jet needed a robust radar. They designed the aircraft based on the radar dish which is located in the plane’s nose, in front of the cockpit, measures around 3 feet wide. That dish allows the aircraft to detect enemies from far away, so pilots could theoretically shoot them before they could even visually see them. But the reality of combat, and the “fog of war,” made the task more complex. You don’t know if you can shoot this enemy plane, because you don’t know if it’s an enemy. There’s friendlies all around, there’s confusion, so you have to sometimes get into a visual arena, and get into a dogfight.
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