F-15EX Flies Weeklong Operational Test Mission

The U.S. Air Force has announced that its F-15EX Eagle lls flew their first large-scale operational test mission at Nevada’s Nellis Air Force Base from Oct. 18-25. Testing was led by Nellis’ Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center Detachment 6 along with units from Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, where the F-15EXs have been undergoing developmental testing, Nellis and the Oregon and Florida National Guard. For the mission, the Air Force’s two Eagle IIs were paired with F-15 C and E models.

“The main focus here is to provide the initial push for operational tests and evaluation to really evaluate the platform from an end-to-end perspective with the addition of a robust threat environment that we have here at Nellis,” said Colton Myers, Operational Flight Program Combined Test Force F-15EX test project manager. “That way, when we write our initial test reports, we’re giving an accurate look to the combat Air Force and the Guard as to what the platform is capable of when it initially fields.”

As previously reported by AVweb, the F-15EX flew for the first time in February 2021. The Air Force, which plans to procure up to 144 of the models, took delivery of the first two EX aircraft in March and April 2021. Intended to replace the aging F-15C/D models, the F-15EX variant features fly-by-wire flight controls, digital cockpit displays and advanced avionics systems.