Because it is intended primarily to knock down other jets, notably the agile Soviet MIG-23, the Air Force calls its forthcoming F-15 an "air superiority" fighter. The designation is doubly meaningful to U.S. aircraft firms. They are finding that big Pentagon contracts, once frequent, are becoming frustratingly scarce. Thus, when the McDonnell Douglas Co. of St. Louis finally won the F-15 award over two competitors last week, it was a considerable coup for the No. 1 firm in the industry since the 1967 merger of McDonnell Co. and Douglas Aircraft. The contract calls for design and production of an...
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