![]() Jet 173 is a legend, but it remains that way because of the Airmen behind it. I take great pride when my maintainers solve these complex problems.” There can be lots of technical issues that we find out weren’t evident in the initial design. “We work so hard maintaining these F-15Es but sometimes it’s like owning a 1966 Volkswagen Bug and trying to install 2020 Tesla technology into it and make it work flawlessly. However, Patterson explained that integrating new technologies into an aging airframe does take a significant amount of problem-solving. ![]() “The weapons we can drop now and the targeting systems available are things we didn’t imagine back when we were flying through the night of Afghanistan in 2001.” “The upgrades in software and technology in the last 18 years is really amazing,” Slocum said. Slocum recently had a chance to fly jet 173 in November of 2019 and recognized the difference in innovation. In fact, no strike eagle has ever been shot down with this technology. This superior capability greatly increases aircraft and aircrew effectiveness and ultimately increases the chance of survival. “The F-15E was designed around the radar and this one can simultaneously detect, identify and track multiple air and surface targets farther than ever before.” “Jet 173 has been through three very large modifications but most noteworthy is the APG-82 AESA (Active Electronically Scanned Array) Radar Modification Program upgrade,” Patterson said. That being said, the jet has seen more than a few upgrades. Patterson has been maintaining strike eagles for 24 years and is now in charge of the maintenance of jet 173. Travis Patterson, 389th FS Aircraft Maintenance Unit superintendent. “I think it's amazing that the first F-15E models are still in service today almost 34 years later after the first model was delivered to the Air Force,” said Senior Master Sgt. It’s still ready to take the fight to the enemy, but not without support and innovation of Airmen from the 389th FS, where jet 173 is assigned today. That mission wrote jet 173 and Slocum’s name in the history books. In the end, the Kabul-Ki Dance resulted in the elimination of several high-priority targets, al-Qaeda residences and the disruption of terrorist movements by bombing a mountainside to create an avalanche that blocked enemy roads. There were 10 in-air refuelings and they evaded anti-aircraft gunfire and ground-to-air missiles throughout the mission. Simply put, every time Slocum completed a mission and began to head back to base, he was given orders to turn around and take out another target. And that, they did.īut as chance would have it, it quickly turned into an opportunistic back-and-forth flight pattern. The mission was simple: destroy the residences of al-Qaeda targets with 500-pound bombs. Slocum was the pilot of jet 173, who was a captain at the time and a member of the 391st Fighter Squadron. fighter aircraft to this day, which was later deemed “The Kabul-Ki Dance.” Jet 173 was the lead jet in the longest combat sortie flown by U.S. 12, 2001, during Operation Enduring Freedom. Top it off with a flashy paint job and standing there would be the legend assigned to the 389th Fighter Squadron at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho.Īlthough jet 173 has flown many missions over its years in service, its most historic moment happened the night of Nov. It’s mounted with an array of missiles, bombs, a 20 mm multi-barrel gun and all the futuristic technology most people probably wouldn’t even begin to imagine. Spanning 64 feet long, 43 feet wide and weighing in at 81,000 pounds when fully loaded, its physical prowess only hints at the capabilities of this jet. The Strike Eagle is designed for air-to-air and air-to-ground combat. Or perhaps, more accurately, it was built. ![]() In 1987, a year known for its eccentric artwork, the debut of the show “Full House” and President Ronald Reagan’s “Tear Down This Wall” speech in West Berlin, a legend was born. Air Force has held the title of world air superiority for many years, but its lethality was taken to the next level about 30 years ago. Mark Slocum, 332nd Air Expeditionary Wing commander and fighter pilot. “If only fighter jets could talk, the stories they could tell,” said Brig. Many jets become legends for their heroic feats in battle, but they are unable to tell their stories as they experienced them. MOUNTAIN HOME AIR FORCE BASE, Idaho (AFNS) - This is the story of F-15E Strike Eagle tail number 87-173, where it comes from and how innovation keeps it ready to bring the fight to the enemy.
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