And Then There Were Two: Second F-15EX Arrives at Eglin AFB for Testing
The F-15EX Eagle II, the Air Force’s newest fighter aircraft, arrives at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., March 11, 2021. (U.S. Air Force/Ilka Cole)
24 Apr 2021
EGLIN AFB Well, that didn t take long, did it?
Just five weeks after the first F-15EX Eagle II fighter jet touched down at Eglin Air Force Base and less than two weeks after that F-15EX was officially unveiled to the public the second of the new fighter aircraft arrived at the base.
F-15EX 002 was flown to Eglin on Tuesday by Maj. Aaron Eshkenazi, F-15EX operational test pilot with the 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron (85th TES), part of the Eglin-headquartered 53rd Wing.
And then there were two: Second F-15EX arrives at Eglin Air Force Base for testing stripes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from stripes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The second F-15EX is now set for months of operational testing with the squadron before it is more widely fielded into military service. Operational testing involves placing an aircraft in a combat relevant environment to determine whether it performs as expected.
The first F-15EX, which touched down at the base March 11, is assigned to the 40th Flight Test Squadron, part of the Eglin-headquartered 96th Test Wing, the installation s host unit.
F-15EX 001 was unveiled at an April 7 ceremony at the base, during which the new fighter jets were christened with the name Eagle II.
The 40th Flight Test Squadron is conducting developmental testing of the F-15EX. Developmental testing assesses an aircraft s capabilities and limitations with the aim of improving its performance.
By JIM THOMPSON | The Walton Sun | Published: April 7, 2021 EGLIN AFB, Fla. (Tribune News Service) Three weeks ago, it got a home. And now, the new F-15EX fighter jet has a name: Eagle II. The name for the new Boeing-produced jet, the first of which arrived last month at Eglin Air Force Base and the second of which is on its way, was announced as that first jet was officially unveiled Wednesday morning inside a base hangar. And while the F-15EX is unmistakably part of the line of F-15 fighter jets that have been flying since 1972, it is a thoroughly modern aircraft.
By
Theresa Hitchens on April 07, 2021 at 1:37 PM
F-15EX Eagle II naming ceremony at Eglin AFB April 7, 2021
WASHINGTON: The Air Force, somewhat anti-climatically, has named its new F-15EX fighter the Eagle II, Lt. Gen. Duke Richardson, military deputy to the service’s acquisition czar, announced today.
The Air National Guard will be the first to receive an operational aircraft, said director Lt. Gen. Mike Loh at today’s unveiling ceremony at Eglin AFB in Florida. Loh said that the F 15C now used by the Guard “quite frankly, … at the end of its lifecycle.” Therefore, the service plans to “recapitalize all Air National Guard, F-15 Cs and DS with either the F-35 A or the F-15EX.”