Tuesday, April 16, 2024
Tuesday, April 16, 2024
The F-15EX has logged its first live-fire missile test, the Air Force announced this week.
During the Jan. 25 weapon system evaluation program exercise, the service’s newest fighter launched an AIM-120D advanced medium-range air-to-air missile, the Air Force reported in a Jan. 31 press release. The event, which the service said marked the first weapon fired from the aircraft, occurred near Tyndall Air Force Base, FL.
“This was an end-to-end verification of the entire weapon system, which will pave the way for more complex missile shots in the future,” Colton Myers, F-15EX test project manager for the Operational Flight Program Combined Test Force, said in the press release.
The test comes after the F-15EX in October wrapped up its first operational testing exercise at Nellis Air Force Base, NV, clearing the way for continued development testing in the months after the first two aircraft were delivered to the Air Force. Testing for additional weapon stations and Operational Flight Program updates are expected to continue into this year.
Officials have combined developmental and operational testing for the Boeing-built aircraft, a strategy Myers said in the release “has been critical to our test success, allowing us to break the mold of ‘traditional’ testing, while ultimately resulting in an overall better product for the warfighter, and in a shorter timeline than if we adopted the traditional approach.”
The Air Force opted to approve an expedited flight plan for the F-15EX, incorporating historical testing data from previous F-15 variants. The Pentagon waived certain survivability testing requirements for the jet, Inside Defense reported last spring, a strategy officials said would save more than $100 million and shave at least one year off the testing schedule. The F-15EX first flew early last February.
The program is set to deliver 144 aircraft to replace the aging F-15Cs, though it’s unclear whether that figure could change as the Air Force assesses its tactical fighter fleet needs.