On 22 September of last year, the United States and her coalition partners in the Middle East began Operation Inherent Resolve, an air campaign designed specifically to target the Islamic State. We have touched on the feasibility of destroying this particular enemy with air power alone, as well as addressed some of the frustrations experienced by participating pilots and aircrew.
You know how much we love to take our readers inside the cockpit with us, so we have a fantastic video to share with you today. The Navy does “Cruise Videos,” but the Air Force refers to them as “Deployment Videos.” For security reasons, we are not going to name the specific unit featured here, nor any of the aircrew you’ll see. While some may figure it out, please keep it to yourselves out of respect for their safety.
What you will recognize, first and foremost, is the mighty Boeing F-15E Strike Eagle. You will get to see the Mud Hen in all of her fire-breathing, death-dealing glory as she rages through the airspace over Southwest Asia, raining destruction on our nation’s enemies.
This video features low-levels, air-to-air refueling, unrestricted climbs on takeoff, cloud surfing and plenty of ordnance coming off the rails–so it runs the whole gamut of everything that makes the Dark Grey a badass machine. So combine all of that with some great music and you’ve got yourself a few minutes to take a look at what it’s like to rage in this jet for real.
So crank the volume, select the full screen option, and enjoy!
(Featured photo: A U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle receives fuel from a KC-135 Stratotanker over northern Iraq after conducting air strikes in Syria, Sept. 23, 2014. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Matthew Bruch/Released)