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.)
Less than a day after arriving in the Middle East, F-15E Strike Eagles from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C. defended Israel from an Iranian attack in April 2024. DUDE flight, four F-15Es from the 335th Fighter Squadron, downed two dozen Iranian drones in roughly 45 minutes.