Welcome back, FighterSweep Fans! This week we take you into the cockpit of the mighty Boeing F-15E Strike Eagle, courtesy of “Ditch” and “Stealth,” two instructors at the 334th Fighter Squadron, a Strike Eagle Formal Training Unit (FTU) part of the 4th Fighter Wing at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base.
The footage takes us through a combat airpower demonstration held in April of 2012 during the Shaw (AFB) Air Fest, the biannual airshow hosted by the 20 FW. Participating were the two Strike Eagles, a pair of Republic A-10C Warthogs from the 74 FS, and a four-ship of Lockheed-Martin F-16CJs from the 77 FS.
The basic premise was simple: full rage. The Vipers and Strikes blaze through the airspace in full ‘burner, max performing both offensively and defensively, providing cover for the Hawgs rolling in to simulate CAS and defeating simulated ground threats by popping flares and performing gut-wrenching high-G turns out of the target area.
A Boeing F-15E Strike Eagle passes through the target area and dispenses flares to defeat a simulated, ground-based IR missile threat.
In this video clip, you’ll get to experience the raw power of the Strike Eagle as it tears through the airspace, propelled by its two Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229 engines. You’ll see the variable geometry inlet adjusting the airflow into the engine at various power settings and angles of attack, as well as vapor exploding off the wings and fuselage in spectacular fashion as the airspeed and G increase.
So buckle up and hold on. It’s going to be a wild ride!