Creech AFB Gets a F-15

Creech AFB added a F-15 to its inventory on Wednesday. It will be used to train Fire Fighters on Emergency Egress Procedures. When a pilot cannot get out of the aircraft on their own, this training makes sure that the Fire Department can get them out quickly and safely.
The heavy lift was performed by the 1/189th Aviation Battalion of the Nevada Army National Guard, Reno Nevada.

Japanese Intercept Russians

Oct 8, 2008- F-15's flown by the Japanese Self Defense Force successfully intercepted a pair of Russian Tu-22 bombers. The incident occurred over the Sea of Japan. Moscow announced that the flight was part of their "Stability 2008" exercise. In addition, the Russians claimed that the flight was over international waters, on a routine training mission.



However, the fact that a pair of Su-27 Russian fighters were scrambled to join the bombers after the intercept was quite unusual.

Lieutenant-Colonel Vladimir Drik was quoted as saying by the Interfax and RIA Novosti news agencies.

"Four Japanese air force F-15 fighters escorted the strategic aviation crews as they flew over the Sea of Japan."

Two Russian Su-27 fighter jets were also sent up to join the bombers after the Japanese intercept to ensure that the Russian Tu-22 bombers, known in NATO parlance as "Backfire" bombers, completed their mission as planned."

History of previous intercepts

F-15 Crashes During Red Flag

An F-15D assigned to the 65th Aggressor Squadron crashed while participating in the Red Flag exercise conducted from Nellis AFB, Nevada. It was reported that one of the two man crew died in the crash. The other pilot was transported to Mike O'Callaghan Federal Hospital and was listed in stable condition and is under observation.

The 65th Aggressor Squadron is based at Nellis AFB. The cause of the crash is still under investigation and a formal news briefing is scheduled for Thursday.

The F-15 fleet was grounded after the investigation of a November, 2007 crash revealed a design defect which weakened the forward fuselage. The F-15 Eagle was first flown in July, 1972. It has never been defeated in air to air combat.

The U.S. Air Force plans to replace the F-15 fleet with the F-22 Raptor which is now operational.

Related Posts.

Iran is Going to Blow Up

...and my bet is that the Israelis are going to do it while the U.S. rattles it's sabers.

The New York Times quoted officials Friday as saying that more than 100 Israeli F-16s and F-15s staged the maneuver, flying more than 900 miles, roughly the distance from Israel to Iran's Natanz nuclear enrichment facility, and that the exercise included refueling tankers and helicopters capable of rescuing downed pilots.

The Israelis usually shoot first and reveal later. It is really unusual that they are being so open it their preparations. Historically, they defend their position of the the only nuclear power in the Middle East. While the U.S. blusters and ponders it's policy towards a nuclear Iran, look for Israel to take a more direct approach.

Isrealis Bombed Syrian Reactor

No Shit? Really? Guess who reported this back when it happened?
Maddog Speaks: WTF? Syrian WMD's?

The Bush administration charged Thursday that a secret Syrian nuclear reactor was within weeks or months of completion before Israel bombed it on Sept. 6 and demanded that North Korea and Syria publicly acknowledge their collusion on a facility that could have produced plutonium for a nuclear weapon.

Back in September, everything was on the QT. In October, the Syrians used a controlled demolition to clear the site. In doing so, they exposed reactor components to U.S. spy satellites. Whoops.

The Bush administration didn't go public at the time at the request of the Israelis who feared a counterstrike. The U.S. State Department then used this fact successfully to compel the Koreans to abandon their nuclear program.

Hurray for our side!

President Bush has received criticism from Congress who side with the Syrians.

Rep. Silvestre Reyes (D-Tex.), chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, charged Thursday that the administration had improperly imposed a "veil of secrecy" around intelligence it was required to share with the oversight committees.

In a statement, the Syrian Embassy in Washington denounced the U.S. claims as "false allegations" designed to "misguide" Congress and international public opinion and produce support for Israel's surprise air strike in September, "which the U.S. administration may have helped execute."

Code One Magazine

Code One, the magazine real fighter pilots read.

Some F-15's Grounded Permanently

The U.S. Air Force has announced that 170 or more of it's F-15 Eagle fleet will be going to the bone yard. Failure of a fuselage longeron has been sited as the primary cause of the crash of an F-15 last November. The grounding will affect four models of the U.S. fighter. The F-15E Strike Eagle is not included. 60% of the entire fleet has been returned to service.

Watch investigation recreation video of mishap.

Related Posts:

F-15 Fleet Grounded After Crash

F-15E Strike Eagles Back in the Air

422 Eagle Holiday Greetings

Aircraft Marshalling

When an aircraft launches. When it leaves its parking space bound for the take off. A aircraft handler stands in front and directs the aircraft out of it's spot. This is to insure than no people,vehicles or equipment are struck or damaged as the aircraft begins to move under its own power.

Here are some examples:

12 Sqn-RAF


C-130


B-1B


F-15


Another F-15

The Secret Life of Crew Chiefs

Who are these guys??? Which unit? They're good.

F-15E Mudhens in Combat

422 Eagle Holiday Greetings

Here's a video greeting card from the boys and girls of the 422nd Operational, Test and Evaluation Squadron (Eagle Division), Nellis AFB, Nevada.

Yes the F-15 is STILL grounded.

Grounded Again- The F-15

Much like an Undefeated Heavyweight succumbing to age rather than losing in the ring. The F-15 will be defeated by Father Time rather than in battle.

After recovering from the 3 November crash and taking to the air, the F-15 Eagle finds itself grounded again. Excluding the F-15E model, the Air Force has grounded the four earlier models.

Computer simulations by its Boeing manufacturer have cause serious concerns for the structural integrity of its backbone. Specifically the longerons that run from aft of the canopy to the tail. In a 28 November press release, Air Force officials have been quoted as saying:

"Although the longeron area was covered in general by previous inspections as a result of the November 2 mishap, technical experts with the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center, assisting in the Accident Investigation Board, have recommended a specific inspection of the suspect area based on the recent findings. Manufacturer simulations have indicated a catastrophic failure could result in this particular area."

It's Groundhog Day for the F-15 fleet as it awaiting completion of the emergency inspections.

TWO

The Four things a Wingman is authorized to say are:
1. "Two".
2. "Two is BINGO fuel."
3. "Lead is on fire."
4. "I'll take the fat one".


The Four things an Assistant Crew Chief is authorized to say are:
1. "I already fixed that."
2. "I'll stay late."
3. "I'm going for beer."

4. "I'll take the fat one."

F-15E Strike Eagles Back in the Air

Air Force officials are taking steps to lift the grounding orders on at least part of its F-15 fleet. The newest of the supersonic fighters, the F-15E Strike Eagles are to return to action if they pass a detailed visual and non-destructive inspection.

Witnesses to the crash saw the aircraft break up just aft of the cockpit. This and evidence recovered from the crash site has led USAF officials to issue a Time Compliance Technical Order (TCTO). The TCTO calls for mandatory visual and non-destructive inspection of the hydraulic lines, fuselage longerons, and straps and skin panels around the environmental control system bays.

Original concern over the structural integrity of the vertical stabilizers has been premature.

The F-15E is the newest of the five models of the Eagle and was not involved in the crash. The older models will remain grounded until the full investigation is complete. This process may take another 30 days.

Gen. John Corley, ACC commander, said the F-15 remains vital to the defense of the nation and to joint forces serving in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.

In a statement released through the Robins public affairs office, General Corley said:

"However, we will not rush the F-15E fleet back to flight. Safety is an essential focus. We are determined to complete a thorough evaluation of the F-15E fleet before their return to flight."

It was previously reported that the pilot involved in the mishap was uninjured. This was erroneous. The pilot, a member of the 131st Fighter Wing, successfully ejected but suffered a broken arm, a dislocated shoulder and several cuts and bruises.The pilot was taken to a St. Louis hospital Nov. 2 but released the following day.

The pilot's name has not been released.

The Air Force bought its last F-15 in 2004 and has long term plans to replace it with the F-22.

F-15 Fleet Grounded After Crash

On 2 November, a F-15C belonging to the Missouri Air National Guard crashed. The pilot was uninjured and reported "structural failure" as the initial cause.
All models of the F-15 Eagle, including the F-15E "Strike Eagle" (pictured above), have been grounded pending the outcome of the official investigation. Combat taskings will be covered by other assets. The aircraft carrier U.S.S. Harry S. Truman (CVN-75)left Norfolk,Virginia on 7 November. This was a planned deployment replacing the U.S.S. Enterprise (CVN-65) currently on station in the Arabian Sea. However it was announced that the Truman will be assuming some of the F-15 combat missions.

The investigation is still on going and for that reason I've held off jumping on the band wagon to report this. The mishap aircraft was 27 years old. This is getting long in tooth for fighter aircraft. Caution is the word of the day for an aging fleet and groundings are a common precautionary response. After the official investigation concludes and a fleet wide inspection completed, the F-15 is expected to return to service.

The crash highlights a structural design flaw in the tail of the F-15 that was identified in the 1990's. Then 9/11 happened. The increased mission tempo brought on by the war has brought renewed focus on Non-destructive Inspections (NDI) to discover and repair defects . The Air Force x-rays the aircraft on a scheduled basis to see if anything is cracking. The grounding will no doubt provide an opportunity to NDI the fleet before anything else happens.

The F-22 "Raptor" is operational and is scheduled to replace the Eagle. The Air Force has ordered 187 of them to replace 688 Eagles. If this incident accelerates the F-15 retirement, it might be a hard row to hoe to get Congress to pay for any more of the 133 million dollar F-22's.