News

F-15SA aircraft takes first test flight

  • Published
  • By by Jenny Gordon
  • Robins Public Affairs
A successful first test flight of the new F-15SA advanced fighter aircraft was conducted Feb. 20 at a Boeing facility in St. Louis.

The test flight was part of the RSAF F-15 Fleet Modernization Program, a $29.4 billion foreign military sales agreement - the largest in U.S. history - with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that includes the purchase of 84 new F-15SA aircraft.

The sale also includes converting the kingdom's current fleet of 70 F-15S aircraft to the F-15SA standard, as well as providing munitions, spare parts, training, maintenance and logistics support.

The F-15 System Program Office at Robins benefits from the sale, with $10 billion of the defense package executed from here. Col. Robert Stambaugh, F-15SA Security Assistance program manager at Robins, explained that a total of three aircraft will undergo flight testing by a flight test program team at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.

"The Wright-Patt team, along with Boeing, have done a tremendous job beginning an ambitious flight test program. I expect that success to continue, and set up the Robins team for success with the equally-challenging Conversion Program," said Stambaugh.

Initial delivery of the first new aircraft will be in 2015, with conversion kit installations to be performed in the kingdom starting in 2016. The program will continue until 2021.