A classic example of necessity breeding invention. Here's What You Need to Remember: Given its ability to fight to the target and back, it is easy to see why this has been the dual-role fighter of choice not only for the USAF and U.S. Air National Guard but also the air forces of Israel, Japan, Singapore and Saudi Arabia. This version of the F-15 can soar like an eagle and strike just as hard. Necessity has long been credited as the mother of invention, and that could certainly describe the McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) F-15E Strike Eagle. Developed to keep pace with the emergence of the MiG-23 and MiG-24 fighters, the United States Air Force sought to replace its fleet of McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom IIs, which had been in service since 1960.