Two F-15s refuse to retire, but join NASA’s quest for civilian supersonic – Jalopnik

You know the type: the guy who’s finally reaching retirement age but just can’t sit at home and do nothing. He leaves, desperate to feel needed again, and finds a new workplace where his skills are valued. He has a top speed of Mach 2.5, a maximum takeoff weight of 68,000 pounds, and a lot of tall tales from his youth that are probably mostly fiction. Yes, your friend is a Boeing F-15C/D Eagle, and he’s not going to take his forced departure from the Oregon Air National Guard lying down. Instead, he’ll help NASA bring supersonic civilian flight to the masses. And he brings a friend.

NASA has announced the purchase of two F-15s from the 173rd^rd Fighter Wing, which is in the process of transitioning from the older aircraft to the new F-35As. Not content to watch these young aircraft take all the glory, the F-15s will be equipped with sensory and data collection equipment. The aircraft will also receive some upgrades to enable it to reach an altitude of 60,000 feet. This combination of speed and altitude makes the F-15 ideal as a chase aircraft for the X-59, the remarkable long-nose test aircraft for NASA’s Questst mission. The When that happens, someone above and behind will have to follow and take measurements. Someone who could have returned to the quiet life, but cannot pass up the opportunity for one last mission.

The C/D variants of the F-15, in turn, are gray old men that are being taken out of service. The new F-15EX will keep the airframe in service, but the old ones are most likely destined for the Boneyard. These two from the Oregon Air National Guard will continue to serve the country in a non-combat capacity, potentially allowing us to have supersonic commercial flights again one day. The main reason we don’t have it now is because the business model is so limited, and that in turn is because supersonic overland flight is not allowed. The sonic booms have a nasty habit of blowing out windows, which is a problem in a city, for example. If NASA’s Questst mission can really alleviate this problem, and make supersonic overland feasible, a whole new and much faster world will open up.

So let us all salute with tears in our eyes these two brave planes that are now about to fly – wait, what is that? One of them will actually be cannibalized for parts? You mean one of the F-15s actually eats the other? Um…let’s just not mention that bit. Ugh, America! Science!