Eagle Country

By 1st Lt. Lindsey Heflin, 53rd Wing

Gen. Mark Kelly, commander of Air Combat Command, flew the F-15EX Eagle II here for the first time Sept. 1, 2021.

The F-15EX is the first new platform tested and fielded through a combined developmental and operational test, expediting the test timeline and setting a precedent for future aircraft programs.

As a currently-qualified F-15E pilot, Kelly accomplished his F-15EX flight after completing the requisite academic and simulator training. Kelly, completed this conversion qualification to gain a first-hand perspective of the unique attributes and capabilities the F-15EX brings to the fight.

“When folks talk about 4th and 5th gen fighters, it’s important to zero out the ambiguity of exactly ‘what’ they are referring to,” Kelly said. “Are we talking signature, avionics, sensors/sensor fusion, and weapons? Because there is absolutely zero doubt that 4th gen aircraft equipped with 5th gen sensors, avionics, and weapons bring disruptive and decisive effects to a peer fight.”

Col. Jason “Vasco” Camilletti, 48th Fighter Wing commander, blasts off with “The King” for his 1000th flying hour in an F-15. Congratulations on this great milestone! Photos by SrA Madeline Herzog and A1C Cedrique Oldaker

By 1st Lt Lindsey Heflin

The 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron conducted the first-ever live fire of an Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile from an F-15C Eagle using an Infrared Search-and-Track system, successfully shooting a QF-16 aerial target, Aug. 5, 2021.

The F-15C was equipped with Lockheed Martin’s Legion Pod IRST Block 1.5 system. The IRST passive target tracking capability was combined with the APG-63v3 RADAR to datalink the target location to the AIM-120, explained Maj. Brian Davis, 85th TES Chief of Air-to-Air Weapons and Tactics. During the test, the sensors in multiple spectrums collaborated for the missile to successfully intercept the target and closed kill chains.

By Senior Airman Kimberly Barrera

The United States Air Force Air Demonstration Squadron, the Thunderbirds, selected Capt. Lauren Schlichting, 333rd Fighter Squadron evaluating pilot and executive officer, at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina, to join their team. Schlichting is set to fly Thunderbird 3, becoming the teams right wing pilot.

From a young age Schlichting knew she wanted to become a fighter pilot.

“Some astronauts came to my school in second grade,” said Schlichting. “The astronaut piece didn’t really resonate with me but them being fighter pilots did. Minnesota has little military presence and I am not from a military family. When I came home, at eight-years-old, and told my mom I was going to join the Air Force and become a fighter pilot, it was shocking for her. It just kind of stuck.”