AMRAAM launched from Silent Eagle weapons bay

F-15E1 launches an AMRAAM from its CWB (Boeing)

Boeing has successfully launched an AMRAAM air-to-air missile test round from the conformal weapons bay (CWB) it is developing for its F-15SE Silent Eagle.

The test, conducted on July 14 from Point Mugu NAS in California saw Boeing’s F-15E1 test aircraft fitted with a CWB launch the AMRAAM successfully. The firing followed a successful demonstration on July 8 in which the CWB doors were opened and the missile deployed into the air stream.

“I’ve been flying F-15s for more than 20 years, but this flight was different from all others,” Boeing F-15 Chief Test Pilot Dan Draeger said in a statement. “This first launch of an AMRAAM from the F-15’s internal weapons bay opens a new era for the F-15 and for strike fighter capability in the dominance of the F-15 Eagle.”