The Arnold Engineering and Development Center in Tennessee plans to dedicate the F-15 on static display at its front gate to Maj. Jim Duricy, an F-15 test pilot killed in April 2002 when his fighter broke apart at Mach 2 while flying over the Gulf of Mexico. The F-15 Eagle on display at AEDC is from Duricy’s unit at Eglin AFB, Fla., the 46th Test Wing. (Read “When Aircraft Get Old” for more on the Duricy accident.)
The Collaborative Combat Aircraft will be operational in the late 2020s, several years before the Next-Generation Air Dominance family of systems, Air Force officials told the House Armed Services tactical aviation panel. The CCAs will first be “shooters,” then electronic warfare platforms, then sensors, in that order, they added.