Photo: USAF/Alejandro Peña
The U.S. Air Force knows all too well what incredible machines it fields to protect the country. It also likes to remind people of this by regularly releasing stunning images of its airplanes as they fly around the world for whatever reason.
Last week, a bunch of photos taken during the massive Northern Edge 21 exercise in Alaska were released. A number of them focused on USAF’s latest toy, the mighty Boeing F-15EX Eagle II.
Two such machines have been delivered this year to the Eglin Air Force Base in Florida to be used for testing, and these planes have already made their way to Alaska, where they were involved in the exercise. We’ve seen a photo of one last week, as it was about to conduct an aerial refueling mission, but now it’s time for something a bit more spectacular.
Here we have the F-15EX shortly taking off from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska. In the background, the snow-capped mountains of the region look absolutely majestic, adding a touch of coolness, both literally and figuratively, to the image.
The new version of the fighter jet will be a major presence in USAF’s arsenal in the coming years. The branch plans to field eight of them by the end of the year, out of a total of 144 planned in the longer run.
Each of the F-15EXs is as high-tech as they get, boasting fly-by-wire flight controls, a digital cockpit, modern radar systems, and a top-of-the-range mission computer. A special protection system (BAE’s EPAWSS) is also on deck to help the plane along.
This variant of the F-15 is the first one to be flown by USAF in the past 15 years. The family was born in 1976 and has grown into becoming one of the pillars of America’s aerial might. Generally, F-15s can reach Mach 2.5 speeds and can cover distances of up to 1,221 miles (1,965 km).
Two such machines have been delivered this year to the Eglin Air Force Base in Florida to be used for testing, and these planes have already made their way to Alaska, where they were involved in the exercise. We’ve seen a photo of one last week, as it was about to conduct an aerial refueling mission, but now it’s time for something a bit more spectacular.
Here we have the F-15EX shortly taking off from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Alaska. In the background, the snow-capped mountains of the region look absolutely majestic, adding a touch of coolness, both literally and figuratively, to the image.
The new version of the fighter jet will be a major presence in USAF’s arsenal in the coming years. The branch plans to field eight of them by the end of the year, out of a total of 144 planned in the longer run.
Each of the F-15EXs is as high-tech as they get, boasting fly-by-wire flight controls, a digital cockpit, modern radar systems, and a top-of-the-range mission computer. A special protection system (BAE’s EPAWSS) is also on deck to help the plane along.
This variant of the F-15 is the first one to be flown by USAF in the past 15 years. The family was born in 1976 and has grown into becoming one of the pillars of America’s aerial might. Generally, F-15s can reach Mach 2.5 speeds and can cover distances of up to 1,221 miles (1,965 km).
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