Craftsmen at Robins AFB, Ga., completed the painstaking rebuild of an F-15E Strike Eagle that was severely damaged in an in-flight fire on a training sortie from Shaw AFB, S.C., almost 18 months ago. The Robins technicians had to completely replace the aircraft’s aft fuselage, modifying the structure to accept the standard engine type used on F-15s at Seymour Johnson AFB, N.C.—the aircraft’s home base. “The actual scope of what we did to this aircraft is tremendous,” said Ed Fuller, Robins’ 561st Aircraft Maintenance Squadron project manager. “It was an incredible effort by a lot of people,” he added. “We saved the Air Force from the loss of an aircraft.” The aircraft, which first came to Robins on a flat-bed truck, lifted off for Seymour Johnson under its own power on Feb. 3, a Robins spokeswoman told the Daily Report. (Robins report by Kendahl Johnson)
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.