The US Air Force revealed the F-15E Strike Eagle fighter in camouflage depicting the pilot who destroyed 17 German planes during World War II

The US Air Force has given the F-15E Strike Eagle fighter a new and unusual camouflage. It commemorates the aviation that took part in World War II.

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The 4th Fighter Regiment paid tribute to the 4th Fighter Group that flew combat missions during World War II. The most striking thing about the new camouflage is the portrait of Donald Blakeslee on the inside of the right tail.

Colonel Donald Blakeslee is a pilot who flew a record number of combat sorties in World War II. He is said to have scored 17 victories in air-to-air engagements against opponents. During the first battle he piloted a P-47 Thunderbolt fighter-bomber. Under the Colonel's command, the 4th Fighter Group destroyed over 1,000 German planes.

On the outside of the left tail is the Royal Air Force Eagle Squadron insignia. It is dedicated to the American volunteers who flew these planes in the early days, before the US officially entered the war. They eventually evolved into the 334th, 335th and 336th Squadrons of the 4th Fighter Group.

Other distinctive features of the camouflage were the flaming spear, the yellow national star, the cartoon battle eagle and the so-called "Invasion Stripes". These stripes were present on aircraft of the 4th Fighter Group during World War II and the Korean War. The camouflage also pays homage to the Supermarine Spitfire aircraft that flew from September 1942 to March 1943.

Source: @sjafb