Current and former members of the 1st Fighter Wing dedicated an F-15A Eagle static display at JB Langley-Eustis, Va., during a ceremony there on Feb. 6. Langley flew F-15A/Bs and F-15C/Ds from 1976 to 2010, when it transitioned to all F-22s. “Men and women proudly flew, maintained, and supported the mighty Eagle and those years were filled with remarkable accomplishment, lightning response to aggression in the Middle East, and milestones that reflect our great Air Force heritage,” said the 1st FW Commander Col. Kevin Huyck in a release. Members of the private 1st Fighter Association raised nearly $50,000 to put the aircraft on display and airmen of the wing’s civil engineering and maintenance squadrons built the display base and moved the aircraft into place at the base’s West Gate, according to the release. Serial number 75-0055 is significant to the unit for having intercepted a Russian TU-95 bomber during the sea trials of the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, according to the release.
U.S. munitions have been expended at a high rate during Operation Epic Fury against Iran, prompting concerns that the Pentagon is eating into weapons stockpiles it needs to deter threats around the world. Yet the newly released $1.5 trillion defense budget request was developed before the war against Iran and…