While it is true that both the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle and the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon are exceptional fourth-generation air superiority fighters, is there one plane that is better than the other? Of the two American aircraft, the McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is slightly older, having entered service with the United States Air Force (USAF) in 1976, while the General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon entered service two years later, in 1978.