Second F-15EX Fighter Jet Deployed at Eglin Air Force Base for Testing 1 May 2021, 7:16 UTC ·
by 15 photos
This second airplane is part of a small fleet of eight expected to be delivered to the U.S. Air Force (USAF) this year, and part of a large, 200-units strong Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity contract assigned to Boeing by the military branch in July last year.
The F-15EX represents a major evolution of one of America’s most famous and long-lived fighter jets. The version has been in the works for a while, and when it soared to the sky in the hands of the Eglin pilots, it became the first new F-15 variant to do that in 15 years.
By Craig Hoyle2021-04-26T10:32:00+01:00
The US Air Force’s second Boeing F-15EX Eagle II fighter arrived at Eglin AFB in Florida on 20 April, ahead of the service launching operational test and evaluation work on the new model.
Source: US Air Force
Second test aircraft arrived at Eglin AFB on 20 April
Boeing notes that the aircraft’s transfer from its St Louis final assembly line in Missouri was “earlier than the contract requirement”. A first example had arrived at Eglin AFB in March.
The USAF intends to acquire between 144 and 200 Eagle IIs to replace its aged F-15C/Ds, and ordered an initial batch of eight test aircraft last year.
Boeing
The US Air Force has taken early delivery of a second F-15EX fighter jet, opening the way to beginning full-scale flight testing of the latest F-15 variant being built by a Boeing-led industry team for the Air Force and the Air National Guard.
Developed in a collaboration between industry, the US Air Force, and the Air National Guard, the F-15EX is intended to replace the venerable F-15C variant, which was introduced in 1979 as an improved single-seat, all-weather, air-superiority fighter. Even with its all-new digital infrastructure, as a fourth-generation fighter the F-15EX isn t expected to be able to handle modern air defenses beyond 2028, so it s expected to complete its 20,000 flight hours by undertaking homeland and air base defense, and no-fly zone enforcement.
On Tuesday, a Boeing-led industry team [NYSE: BA] officially delivered a second F-15EX fighter aircraft to the U.S. Air Force earlier than the contract.