Can anyone please advise what colours Strike Eagles wore before the current schemes were intro’d? I have Academy’s kit, which got a coat of all over USAF Grey from Tamiya’s AS range (I did it this colour because I didn’t have net access at the time & was a bit too anxious). Now I know better, I want to strip it back & do it properly.
From my own understanding before the Air Force changed over to a two tone light gray scheme almost all F-15E’s were painted overall Gunship Gray except for the the top and bottom rear sections near the engines which were more or less a Titanium silver color. Before this most all F-15 had a two tone gray that was simular to the F-16’s paint scheme Some of the first test prototypes for the F-15E’s had a European Camouflage scheme. The overall Gunship Gray scheme is still used.
For good reference source try http://www.f-15estrikeeagle.com/. Hope this helps.
Air Master
Lou Drendel’s F-15 book covers just the beginning of the E series, but has some good photos. They first flew in overall Gunship Gray with unpainted metal around the engines in the same pattern as all F-15’s.