The US Air Force is checking its "new thing". Yesterday, February 1, the portal defensenews.com He reported that the F-15EX Eagle II fighter had passed the first fire tests by launching an air-to-air missile.
During testing, the fighter crew conditionally shot down an air target BQM-167 using an AIM-120D missile. The tests were conducted over the Gulf of Mexico. As part of the evaluation of the air-to-air weapons system known as Combat Archer, the F-15EX Eagle II detected, identified and attacked a target with a missile. When it became clear that the rocket was flying to the target, the command was given to self-destruct it.
Rocket launch from the F-15EX Eagle II fighter through the eyes of a pilot
Image source: defensenews.com
The Air Force said that the successful launch of the missile followed six months of comprehensive development and operational flight tests. In the future, the fighter will have to undergo tests with "complex missile launches".
The F-15 Eagle is an American fighter of the 4th generation. The aircraft was developed in 1972 and entered service with the American Army four years later. Since 1976, more than 1,500 F-15 fighters have been produced in various modifications. In addition to the United States, these aircraft are in service with the armies of Japan, Saudi Arabia, Israel, South Korea and Singapore.
The F-15EX is the newest version of the F-15 Eagle fighter. This version received fundamentally new radars, a computer system and protection technologies (electronic warfare and threat detection systems). The key feature of the F-15EX is the ability to carry more than 20 air-to-air missiles. Boeing indicates that the fighter airframe is designed for 20,000 flight hours, while the first versions of the F-15 required maintenance after 5,000 hours.
