Eagle Country

photos by Michael J. Hasenauer / Story by Christie Vanover

On Dec. 8, 2021. The F-15C flew its final Weapons School defensive counter air sortie during Weapons Instructor Course 21-B at Nellis AFB. It marked the end of the F-15C Fighter Weapons School program.

he United States Air Force is continuing to modernize its future fighter force, and part of that evolution includes the sunset of the F-15C Eagle division of the United States Air Force Weapons School Weapons Instructor Course.

The single-seat F-15C aircraft entered the U.S. Air Force inventory in 1979, and weapons officers have been trained on the aircraft’s tactics at the Weapons School at Nellis since 1978.

Those years of tradition came to an end Dec. 8, as the last cadre of students and instructors flew the final defensive counter air vul for Weapons Instructor Course 21-B.

Maj. Rodolfo Cruz is the Director of Operations for the 433rd Weapons Squadron and one of the last five WIC instructors for the F-15C. He graduated as part of class 18-A, and became an instructor in 2019.

“I love the F-15C,” he said. “We always brag about the record of 104 to zero, and that is predominately based on the fact that we have the air superiority fighter. I don’t want it to die, but we have to move on, because if we continue to rest on our laurels, it’s going to make the fight that much harder for us.”

Cruz said he took a different approach when teaching this last iteration of students, because as the students transition, they will likely be in their jobs a bit longer, because there will be no subsequent students to replace them.

“We spent a little bit more time on the critical thinking concept rather than finessing the individual Eagle execution that they should already know. We had to think about how we as the Weapons School think about problems, so that when the graduates go out into the Combat Air Force, they can think about the problems in the same manner,” he said.

Maj. Michael Tope, the WIC 21-B F-15C class leader, said he and his fellow F-15C WPS graduates are prepared to take on the new leadership role as the airframe’s last Weapons School graduates.

By 1st Lt Daniel Barnhorst

The 391st Fighter Squadron became the first operational unit to use the GBU-53/B, the Air Force’s new small diameter bomb known as StormBreaker, Nov. 2 at the Utah Test and Training Range.

Four F-15Es from the 366th Fighter Wing had the opportunity to employ this new capability as part of WSEP (Weapon System Evaluation Program).

The evaluation involved multiple aircraft targeting and engaging four ground-based vehicles with four of StormBreakers. Despite all of the vehicles being moving targets and this being a relatively new munition, all four were successfully hit.

Col. David Unruh completed his fini flight on Friday, December 3rd with the 123 FS Redhawks. Friends and family came out to show their support and celebrate the former 142nd Wing commander. Col. Unruh later relinquished command during a change of command ceremony held on Sunday, December 5th. Good luck Col. Unruh on your next assignment at the Oregon National Guard’s Joint Forces Headquarters (JFHQ) Air Component Command.

In September 2009 the USAF retired the Final ‘F-15A model’ it was 77-098 flying with the 123rd Fighter Squadron #Redhawks.
Here is the full story written by Staff Sgt. John Hughel

PORTLAND, Ore. – On a clear late September day, Lt. Col. Steve Beauchamp strides from the flight operations’ building toward one of many F-15’s parked on the Portland Air National Guard Base ramp. Master Sgt. Mark Billmyer greets Beauchamp with a handshake and conversation as he arrives for his mid-morning flight; both make their way toward a waiting “Redhawk” jet where Tech. Sgt. Andrew Shown has already begun to prep the aircraft. As typical as any daily mission flown by one of the officers from the 142nd Fighter Wing can be, on this day one element of the routine is unusual. The journey that Beauchamp will be flying is a one way trip, as aircraft 77-098 will retire when they reach Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., later in the afternoon. What is also unique about this flight is that aircraft, tail number 77-098 is the last F-15A/B models in the active United States Air Force inventory.
“I thought I was going to ride off into retirement when the last of these ‘A models’ would be retiring,” said Beauchamp.