Arnold Engineering Development Center dedicated the F-15 it has on display to Maj. James Duricy, the F-15 fighter pilot killed in April 2002 when he had to eject at high speed as his fighter broke apart over the Gulf of Mexico. Philip Lorenz III reports on the dedication ceremony, attended by Duricy’s parents. Duricy was a test pilot assigned to the 40th Flight Test Squadron at Eglin AFB, Fla., flying a test for a new air-to-air missile. (Read “When Airplanes Get Old” for more on the Duricy accident.)
The Air Force wants to pump more than $12 billion over the next five years into its new affordable long-range missiles program and recently asked industry to push the flights of some of those munitions beyond 1,200 miles.