F-15 Model Planes Picture Gallery
Posted by admin in F-15 Model on March 22nd, 2010
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- Strike Eagle F-15E
Museum of Aviation receives Boeing’s Donation of F-15E “Strike Eagle” Model
A large model of an F-15E “Strike Eagle Fighter now lies at the outdoor display near the Museum’s Eagle Building South entrance doorway of the Museum of Aviation, Warner Robins, Georgia. As manufactured and donated by the Boeing Company, the F-15E is the second large model aircraft they have donated to the Museum for its front entrance – last June 2011, they donated a C-17 model. Officials from the Boeing Company in St. Louis, Missouri, came to the Museum last April to help dedicate the model and make a separate cash donation worth $7,000 to the Museum.
During the ribbon cutting, the following Senior Boeing Company representatives were present during the event; from St. Louis were Ms. Julie Praiss, Vice President, Tactical Aircraft and Weapons Systems (Sustainment); Mr. Geoff Wilson, Director, F-15 Support Programs; Mr. Kevin Pennington, U.S. Air Force F-15 Support Program; Mr. Brian Schubert, F-15 Support Programs Business Development and Lori J. Moore, Communications, Global Services & Support. Representing Boeing Macon was John Howell.
RIBBON CUTTING: (L-R) Ken Emery, Colonel Gerald Swift, Colonel Evan Miller, Geoff Wilson, Colonel Mitch Butikofer, Julie Praiss, Carolyn Crayton, Tommy Stalnaker and Patrick M. Bartness.
Colonel Mitch Butikofer, Commander of the 78th Air Base Wing accepted the donation on behalf of the U.S. Air Force Museum of Aviation at Robins Air Force Base. Kenneth Emery, Museum Director welcomed those at the ceremony which included Col. Evan Miller, Commander of the 402nd Maintenance Wing at Robins AFB; Col Gerald Swift, F-15 Division Chief; Larry O’Neal, Georgia State Representative; Patrick M. Bartness, President and Chief Operating Officer, Museum of Aviation Foundation; and Carolyn Crayton, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Museum of Aviation Foundation.
The F-15E “Strike Eagle” donated model has a six foot wing span that sits atop a high pole next to the South Entrance to the Eagle building. The “Eagle Division” of the Museum provides a worldwide support to all F-15 aircraft both for the U.S. Air Force fleet as well as for all foreign military sales users.
The F-15 Eagle is a twin-engine, all-weather tactical fighter designed by McDonnell Douglas (now Boeing) to gain and maintain air superiority in aerial combat. It is considered among the most successful modern fighters with over 100 aerial combat victories with no losses in aerial fights. Since the 1970s, the Eagle has also been exported to Israel, Japan and Saudi Arabia. Despite originally being envisioned as pure air superiority aircraft, its design proved flexible enough that an all-weather strike derivative.
The first F-15 Strike Eagle fighter jet flew in July 1972 and entered the service in 1976. The Eagle is expected to be in service with the U.S. Air Force past 2025. Purchase quality made F-15E model airplanes and see the biggest aviation collectibles only in Showcase Models.
Source: http://www.museumofaviation.org
Blogger Shines Light on U.S. Shadow War in East Africa
An innocuous-seeming U.S. Air Force press release. A serendipitous satellite image in Google Earth. Snapshots from a photographer on assignment at a Spanish air base. The crash of an Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle fighter-bomber in the United Arab Emirates. These are some of the fragments of information that Italian aviation blogger David Cenciotti has assembled to reveal the best picture yet of the Pentagon’s secretive war in the Arabian Peninsula and East Africa.
In a series of blog posts over the past two weeks, Cenciotti has described in unprecedented detail the powerful aerial force helping wage Washington’s hush-hush campaign of air strikes, naval bombardments and commando raids along the western edge of the Indian Ocean, including terror hot spots Yemen and Somalia. Cenciotti outlined the deployment of eight F-15Es from their home base in Idaho to the international air and naval outpost at Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti, north of Somalia.
Over the years there have been hints of the F-15s’ presence in East Africa, but “their actual mission remains a (sort-of) mystery,” Cenciotti writes. Based on the evidence, he proposes that the twin-seat fighter-bombers — one of the Air Force’s mainstay weapon systems in Afghanistan — are dropping bombs on al-Qaida-affiliated militants in Yemen. If true, that means the U.S. intervention in the western Indian Ocean is far more forceful, and risky, than previously suggested.
F-15 Strike Eagle jet
Ten years ago the Air Force openly acknowledged the initial F-15E rotation in Djibouti, but since then the flying branch has released few details. New official information on the Indian Ocean aerial armada has emerged only after airplanes crashed. An accident involving an Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drone in the Seychelles late last year forced the Pentagon to admit it was building a drone base on the island nation. Reporters followed the Seychelles lead to uncover additional Reaper bases in Yemen and Ethiopia. Armed drones operated by the CIA and the military have killed scores of militants in Somalia and Yemen under steadily loosening rules of engagement.
Similarly, the deaths of four American airmen in a crash in Djibouti in February confirmed the involvement of the secretive U-28 spy plane in the escalating intervention.
The F-15Es carry more bombs and fly much faster than the Cessna-size, propeller-driven Reapers. Where the long-endurance drones are persistent and patient, the twin-engine Strike Eagles are fast-reacting and powerful. “When you need to quickly reach a distant target and hit it with a considerable payload, you might find a Strike Eagle a better platform,” Cenciotti explains. On the other hand, “air strikes with conventional planes are considered less respectful of the local nation’s sovereignty than drones’ attacks,” he adds. “This could be the reason for keeping the eventual F-15E involvement in the area a bit confidential.”
Again, it was a crash that helped draw reporters’ attention to the F-15s in Djibouti. In early May a photographer friend of Cenciotti photographed several Strike Eagles passing through Spain’s Moron air base en route to an unspecified deployed location. One of the F-15s crashed near its next layover in the United Arab Emirates. (The two crew members ejected safely.) Cenciotti scrutinized the aircraft involved and matched them up with a Pentagon press release describing a change-of-command ceremony for a fighter squadron in Djibouti.
An image from Google Maps showing six F-15s on the ground in Djibouti helped confirm Cenciotti’s theory that Strike Eagles are active in the Indian Ocean region. Evidence the jets are bombing Yemen is more circumstantial: Cenciotti notes that the pro-U.S. Yemeni air force was on strike at the time of one widely reported air raid in the country, meaning another nation was likely responsible for the hit.
The 37-year-old Cenciotti rivals ace Aviation Week reporter Bill Sweetman for breaking news about military aircraft. But his strict focus on aviation means he misses other compelling evidence of the U.S. shadow war in East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. The Navy maintains around 30 warships in the Indian Ocean as part of several international task forces. American destroyers have launched missiles and fired guns at terrorists in Somalia and Yemen.
But arguably the most interesting vessels in the area are also the least flashy. Lewis and Clark-class supply ships, normally used to carry fuel and cargo, have also been used as Afloat Forward Staging Bases — in essence, seaborne military camps for housing Special Forces and launching helicopters and small boats. The ships can be configured with makeshift jails for holding captured pirates and, in theory, terror suspects.
The Lewis and Clark class ship Carl Brashear visited Djibouti in early May, according to a military press release. Where the ship went next — and what exactly she did there — is unclear. But if Cenciotti’s investigation of the F-15s is any indication, there could be a surprising truth beneath the layers of official secrecy concealing America’s underreported Indian Ocean shadow war.
The F-15 jet is currently servicing many countries other than the U.S. Purchase top-notch F-15 wood model planes only from Showcase Models.
News source: wired.com
Two F-15 Eagle Intercepts Boeing 777 Due to Terrorist Threat
A Korean Air Boeing 777 was intercepted by two F-15 Eagle from the U.S. Air Force after the passenger aircraft received a bomb threat. The threat surfaces just after the aircraft’s takeoff from Vancouver, British Columbia. The Boeing 777 was headed towards Seoul, Korea.
Because of the terrorist threat, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) dispatched two F-15 to intercept the Boeing 777 and escort it to the Canadian Forces Base Comox, located in British Columbia. As an aftermath of 9/11, NORAD is responsible for guarding the North American airspace against potential airborne terrorist. It also keeps an eye out for Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles and other military attacks. NORAD is a joint venture of U.S and Canada.
The jet fighters successfully escorted the 777 and no bomb was found in the passenger plane. However, it received another bomb threat as it flies to Seoul shortly after.
Get your wooden F-15 Eagle jet model planes from Warplanes, a leading manufacturer of museum-grade model airplanes.
News source: www.gizmodo.com.au
F-15s extend deployment in Hawaii
The 120th Fighter Wing of the Montana Air National Guard will extend its current air combat alert mission at Joint Base Pearl-Hickam, Hawaii until September 2012.
The extension is a result of a recent decision to leave the F-15 mission at MANG longer than originally anticipated. MANG is performing the 24-hour alert mission in Hawaii while that base converts from the F-15 to the newer, more high-tech F-22 Raptor. Approximately 30 pilots, maintainers and logistics personnel, in addition to six F-15s, from MANG have been deployed to Hawaii since August of last year. They were originally scheduled to return in January 2012.
When the personnel were fist deployed, a MANG spokesman said many of those making the trip had sold their homes or rented them out in anticipation of a long deployment.
An alert-status mission means the F-15s must be ready 24 hours a day, seven days a week to fly at a moment’s notice if an aircraft is in trouble or an unidentified plane enters restricted airspace or acts erratically, according to MANG officials.
Source: http://www.greatfallstribune.com
Israeli F-15 had bird strike
Posted by Jobelle in F15 News, F15 Trivia on October 7th, 2011
example of a Bird Strike
An IAF F-15 fighter jet was forced to make an emergency landing on Thursday after one of its engines caught fire during a routine training flight. Initial details suggest the F-15′s engine caught fire due to a bird-strike. The jet landed safely at the Tel Nof Air Base. The pilots were unharmed.
A military source confirmed the incident, adding: “Around 11:20am, an F-15 on a training flight was hit by a bird. The pilot and copilot followed procedure and immediately aborted the flight landing safely.
“The jet is currently undergoing a mechanical and technical inspection to determine whether it sustained any damage.”
Bird strikes, or BASH (Bird Aircraft Strike Hazard) are considered a significant threat to both civilian and military flight safety. In most cases, a bird hits the windscreen or flies into the engines, causing them to fail.
Luckily the majority of BASH incident do not cause human fatalities.
Source: ynetnews.com
Is there a delay of F-15s for Saudi?
There are rumblings that the Boeing F-15 deal with Saudi Arabia is delayed. There are also speculation the Saudis are upset with President Obama’s support of Arab Spring demonstrations or his opposition to Palestine becoming a state through U.N. approval.
“We hear the same rumblings, but to narrow it down or be able to pinpoint it, we’re up in the air about that right now. We don’t know,” said Aerospace Machinists president Gordon King.
“They are keeping it pretty close chested of what the reasons might be”
King feels the Saudis are still interested with the F-15s, but admits there has been a hold-up in the transfer of money.
Source: stlouis.cbslocal.com, foxnews.com
22News fly with F-15s over NYC
Fighter pilots from the Massachusetts Air National Guard, flying Supersonic F-15 Eagles were the first called to action on September 11th, as commercial jetliners became the tools of terrorists. Their response was immediate. Those F-15’s flown by members of the 102nd Fighter Wing from Otis Air National Guard Base on Cape Cod were the dominant force in the skies over New York City.
“I think for any of us being out there and seeing our country come under attack is something we’ve all had to get adjusted to, not only for the military, but for everyday life for all of us,” said Col. Donald Quenneville, Commander of the 102nd Fighter Wing.
Since that day in September, the role of the 102nd Fighter wing has been stepped-up. Every day, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) gives them a new mission depending on where they’re needed. From Canada to Washington, D.C. and as far west as Detroit, their purpose is to keep civilians on the ground safe from other air attacks.
The 102nd Fighter Wing gave 22News reporter Patti Smith the rare opportunity to fly along on one of those sensitive F-15 missions. Hours before takeoff, Guardsmen and women outfitted her with the necessary gear: from a flight suit and boots to a parachute harness and G-suit designed to prevent blood from escaping vital organs during high-velocity maneuvers, and finally, an oxygen mask.
Next, there was an emergency training session in an F-15 flight simulator. There, Smith learned how to quickly exit the jet and how to operate her parachute should she need it. Then, it was on to a final briefing with Col. Donald Quenneville, who was her pilot.
Taking off armed with a home video camera, Smith began the trip.
In full after-burner, they began their climb to cruising altitude in just two minutes; a level that the government asked us not to disclose. For national security reasons, there are details about the flight such as airspeed that we were not permitted to disclose. At top speed, however, the F-15 can make the trip from Otis to New York in less than 10 minutes. Smith’s trip took her to New York in about 20 minutes.
She asked Quenneville whether there is someone over New York every 24 hours a day. “Our tasks come from NORAD, so it’s whatever they determine,” Quenneville said. “Believe me, in the interest of safety and security, we’ve had a lot of presence over New York.
The flight took Smith right over Ground Zero, which more than two months after the attacks, was still smoldering.
Still above New York, they flew alongside of the F-15’s taking part in the day’s mission, and then headed in to link-up with an Air Force refueling tanker. Refueling tankers like the one they encountered allow F-15 Eagles to stay up in the air for extended periods.
Their orders come from NORAD, and until the terrorist attacks, their main role was to defend the U.S. from external threats, but that changed on September 11, and so did the appearance of the enemy. “Up until the 11th of September, no one could have imagined it could possibly be an airline wearing an American Airlines logo,” Quenneville said. He added that F-15 fighter pilots have had to adjust to the idea that they may someday receive an order from above to fire at a civilian aircraft during another attack. But we also have to look at it from the perspective that that’s no longer a jet liner; its a guided missile that’s trying to create havoc in our country and cause further harm.”
For now, these missions that originate on Cape Cod will continue indefinitely; the result of the hard work of the 1,100 full and part-time members of the military who’ve been called to duty. “It’s important to let the American public know that their skies over their country are safe and secure,” Quenneville said.
-wwlp.com
-wikipedia.org
Kingsley Field instructor pilot reached milestone
Posted by Jobelle in F15 News, F15 Pilot, F15 Trivia on September 7th, 2011
Lt. Col. Wes “Pappy” French, a Kingsley Field instructor pilot, passed a significant flying milestone this summer. On June 8, the 45-year-old fighter jet pilot logged his 3,000th hour flying the F-15, becoming the third active Kingsley pilot to reach the mark.
If you do the math, that’s 125 days spent roaming the skies in the tight cockpit of the air-to-air fighter jet.But that doesn’t take into consideration the countless hours French and about 25 other instructor pilots at Kingsley spend preparing to the fly the $30 million machines.
“Every milestone has been a proud moment, but to me the more important part is that every hour I’m up there I’m providing good training for the guys I’m working with,” said French, a member of the Oregon Air National Guard’s 173rd Fighter Wing.
Instructor pilots at Kingsley fly about four days a week, logging five to six hours in the air over that time period. Kingsley trains pilots to fly the F-15 and is the base to train pilots on the F-15C, a single-seat version of the fighter jet.
“We take a guy that is straight out of pilot school and train him for about six months to make the F-15 a fighting machine,” French said. “It’s very tough for them.”
Source: Herald and News
Three More F-15K Slam Eagles Delivered to ROKAF
Posted by Jobelle in F-15 Model, F15 News on August 24th, 2011
Boeing delivered three F-15K Slam Eagle aircraft to the Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) at Daegu Air Base on Aug. 20.
“We are pleased to receive the latest three F-15K Slam Eagles, F-15K 51, 52 and 53, from Boeing,” said Lt. Col. Tae Uk Kim, Commander of the 110th Squadron, 11th Fighter Wing, ROKAF.
“The F-15K is one of our most important assets in defense of the peninsula. We are satisfied with the continued on-schedule, quality deliveries of our F-15K Slam Eagles from Boeing,” he added.
The aircraft left the Boeing St. Louis facility on Aug. 16 and made stops in Palmdale, Calif., Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, and Anderson Air Force Base, Guam, before arriving in Korea.
Boeing delivered the first six of 21 F-15Ks it is producing under the Next Fighter II contract in 2010, followed by two in April and two more in May. The remaining eight aircraft will be delivered through April 2012.
“Our long-term cooperative relationship enables Boeing and Korean industry to ensure the ROKAF continues to fly a superior multi-role aircraft in defense of Korea,” said Roger Besancenez, Boeing F-15 Program vice president.
The F-15K is an advanced variant of the combat-proven F-15E. Equipped with the latest technological upgrades, it is extremely capable, survivable and maintainable. The aircraft’s service life is planned through 2040, with technology insertions and upgrades throughout its life cycle.
Source: AIR-ATTACK
Trucker hauled F-15 wings to Chico drew excitement
Posted by Jobelle in F-15 Model, F15 News on August 10th, 2011
When Oroville trucker Brian Walker’s was sent him to Virginia a couple of weeks ago to haul back wings of an F-15 fighter jet from Langley Air Force Base in Virginia to Chico.
“He didn’t tell me what kind of wings,” said Walker in an interview Friday in Oroville. “He just told me airplane wings. I had no idea it was an F-15 jet.”
Walker drove one of two farm semis carrying the wings, nose, burn cans and a huge green box filled with parts and panels to put the F-15 back together.
Although they were ready to roll July 22, the group had to wait because they couldn’t travel during the weekend through the Virginia city of Hampton, where Langley’s located. The group finally left around the base around 2 p.m. EDT July 25, but they only traveled about 240 miles the first day, partly due to permits.
The trip became known as the Freedom Eagle project and took five days through eight states. They arrived in Chico July 31.Walker said the best part of the trip was seeing the reactions of people along the way. Some motorists whizzed past and slowed down once they realized what he was hauling, or they would ride up beside Walker’s truck and make gestures or point.
The F-15 aircraft also drew people when the truckers stopped. At times, the convoy was able to stop at empty parking lots, but within minutes, the lots would have 15 or more cars “with people taking pictures, talking to us, and wanting their pictures taken with (the plane).”
“It was an experience I will never forget,” Walker said somberly. “It’s an honor that I got to do it.”
Source: ChicoER.com
