When the F-15 entered service in the 1970s, fatigue tests were done to see how long they could last. Another such test will soon be done, ACC commander Gen. John Corley said Friday. Corley noted that F-15s built in the Cold War were expected to serve perhaps 15 years, or about 4,000 hours, but have been extended by necessity to 8,000 hours. He said Air Force Materiel Command will do a new test to see if long-term extension of the F-15 is realistic.
An important U.S. Air Force E-3 Sentry AWACS command and control plane was among the aircraft damaged in a March 27 Iranian missile and drone attack on Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, people familiar with the matter told Air & Space Forces Magazine.