NASA has used three F-15s in its experimental research programs.
Two Category I F-15As, 71-281 and 71-287, were bailed to NASA in 1975-76 and assigned to the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards AFB. They have been used for several experimental programs.
71-281 was acquired on December 17, 1975, and was used for the aerodynamic testing of the shuttle’s thermal protection tiles by mounting them on the inner wing leading edge. The tiles attached to the starboard wing simulated those on the leading edge of the orbiter’s wing, whereas those on the port wing simulated those on the junction of the orbiter’s wing and fuselage. The tiles attached to the F-15A’s wing were ultimately subjected to almost 1.5 times the dynamic pressure which the Shuttle experiences during launch. 71-281 was returned to the USAF on October 28, 1983 without ever being assigned a NASA number. It is now on display on a pedestal at Langley AFB in Virginia.
71-287 was acquired on January 5, 1976. It was assigned the NASA number of 835. It participated in a series of tests that involved the Digital Electronic Engine Control and other advanced engine features that were planned for the Pratt & Whitney 1128 turbofan, a derivative of the F100-PW-100 which ultimately led to the development of the F100-PW-220. Later, it participated in the testing of the NASA/USAF Highly Integrated Electronic Control (HIDEC) program which involved a flight control system that was capable of detecting inflight failures and automatically reconfiguring the aircraft’s control surfaces to compensate for them. The aircraft is currently in storage at Dryden, used as a spare parts source.
F-15B 74-141 has been operated by NASA Dryden since 1994 as a Flight Test Fixture aircraft, replacing an F-104. The aircraft is provided with a slabe-shaped pylon under the centerline, which contains its own instrumentation for the testing of a variety of experiments and aerodynamic shapes.
Sources:
-
Flying the Frontiers–NACA and NASA Experimental Aircraft, Arthur
Pearcy, Naval Institute Press, 1993.
-
McDonnell Douglas Aircraft Since 1920, Volume II, Rene J.
Francillon, Naval Institute Press, 1990.
-
Combat Aircraft F-15, Michael J. Gething and Paul Crickmore,
Crescent Books, 1992.
-
The American Fighter, Enzo Angelucci and Peter Bowers,
Orion, 1987.
-
The World’s Great Interceptor Aircraft, Gallery Books, 1989.
-
F-15 Eagle, Robert F. Dorr, World Airpower Journal, Volume 9,
Summer 1992.
- Boeing/McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle Variant Briefing, John D. Gresham, World Air Power Journal, Vol 33, Summer 1998.
