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Two retired US Air Force F-15 Eagle twin-engine all-weather fighter jets have been given a new role supporting the development of supersonic flight research at the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
The jets have joined NASA’s Flight Demonstrations and Capabilities project located at Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California to pursue the new role enabling breakthrough advancements in aerospace.
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The F-15s will support supersonic flight research for NASA’s Flight Demonstrations and Capabilities project, including testing for the Quesst mission’s X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft. One of the aircraft will return to the air as an active NASA research aircraft. The second will be used for parts to support long-term fleet sustainment.
“These two aircraft will enable successful data collection and chase plane capabilities for the X-59 through the life of the Low Boom Flight Demonstrator project,” according to NASA Armstrong flight operations director Troy Asher.
“They will also enable us to resume operations with various external partners, including the Department of War and commercial aviation companies.
“NASA has been flying F-15s since some of the earliest models came out in the early 1970s… Dozens of scientific experiments have been flown over the decades on NASA’s F-15s and have made a significant contribution to aeronautics and high-speed flight research.
“The priority is for them to successfully support the X-59 through completion of that mission… And over the longer term, these aircraft will help position NASA to continue supporting advanced aeronautics research and partnerships.”
The aircraft had previously been used by the Oregon Air National Guard’s 173rd Fighter Wing at Kingsley Field. After completing their final flights with the Air Force, the two aircraft arrived at NASA Armstrong in December last year.
The F-15s allow NASA to operate in high-speed, high-altitude flight-testing environments. The aircraft can carry experimental hardware externally, under its wings or slung under the centre, and can be modified to support flight research.
The team at Armstrong is expected to modify the jet software, systems, and flight controls to suit mission needs. The F-15’s ground clearance allows researchers to install instruments and experiments that would not fit beneath many other aircraft.
NASA has already been operating two F-15s modified so that their pilots can operate safely at up to 60,000 feet, the top of the flight envelope for the X-59, which will cruise at 55,000 feet.
The new F-15 that will fly for NASA will receive the same modification, allowing for operations at altitudes that most standard aircraft cannot reach. The combination of capability, capacity, and adaptability makes the F-15s uniquely suited for flight research at NASA Armstrong.
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