Boeing F-15 Silent Eagle Demonstrator Makes 1st Flight
"The Silent Eagle demonstration flight validated our initial engineering design approach"
Press Release
ST. LOUIS, July 9, 2010 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA]
Silent Eagle flight demonstrator aircraft F-15E1 completed
a successful first flight on July 8 from Lambert St.
Louis International Airport. During the 80-minute flight,
F-15E1 opened and closed its left-side Conformal Weapons Bay, which
contained an AIM-120 Instrumented Test Vehicle (ITV) missile. The ITV was not launched.
"The Silent Eagle demonstration flight validated our initial
engineering design approach," said Boeing F-15 Development
Programs Director Brad Jones. "Our intent was to verify all
systems are operational in a flight environment.
This flawless flight allows us to move into the next phase.
In the next couple of weeks, we will ferry F-15E1 to
the test range and launch an AIM-120."
"Everything about the flight went according to plan,"
said Boeing F-15 Chief Test Pilot Dan Draeger.
"We saw nothing unusual during the flight,
and we cleared the desired flight envelope needed to fire
the missile at the test range; that is pretty much unheard of on a first flight."
The Silent Eagle is an innovative
design solution developed in response to international
customer requirements for a cost-effective, high-performance
fighter aircraft to defend against future threats.
The F-15SE offers unique aerodynamic, avionic and Radar Cross Section
reduction features that provide the user with maximum flexibility to
dominate the ever-changing advanced threat environment.
The aircraft's Conformal Weapons Bays can carry a
variety of air-to-air missiles and air-to-ground weapons.
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