The US Air Force has proven why the F-15E Strike Eagle is unstoppable

Summary and key points: The legendary F-15E Strike Eagle, nicknamed “LUCKY,” has reached an incredible milestone of 15,000 flight hours during a combat mission in the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) area.

– LUCKY entered service in 1989 and is one of the oldest and most historic F-15Es. It has participated in numerous missions, including Operation Desert Storm, during which it recorded an air-to-air kill.

– This achievement underscores the longevity of the aircraft and the dedicated efforts of the maintenance teams at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base who have kept this legendary fighter jet in the air for over three decades.

The F-15E Strike Eagle continues to make history

The F-15 Eagle has proven itself to be an unstoppable fighter jet. Since entering service nearly five decades ago, the twin-engine, all-weather fighter remains one of the most successful modern combat aircraft ever built, claiming more than 100 aerial victories without suffering a single loss in aerial combat to date. And although it was originally developed as a pure air superiority fighter, its design proved suitable for use in a secondary ground attack role as well – the result was the F-15E Strike Eagle.

As previously reported, the US Air Force currently has 224 F-15E Strike Eagles, and many of them already have considerable mileage under their belt.

However, one of those F-15E aircraft reached a significant milestone this spring: 15,000 flight hours, all while on a combat mission in the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) area of ​​responsibility. What makes this story all the more remarkable is that the F-15E Strike Eagle – tail number #89-0487 – is nicknamed “LUCKY.”

The aircraft was one of the first F-15Es and entered service with the 4th Fighter Wing at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base (AFB) in North Carolina in 1989. According to CENTCOM, literally hundreds of maintainers have helped keep this LUCKY warbird in the air over the past 35 years, including its current dedicated crew chief.

“I worked on this jet when it hit 13,000, 14,000 and now 15,000 flight hours,” said the pilot, who has been working on the F-15E Strike Eagle since 2019.

“The average operational life of an F-15E is approximately 10,000 flight hours, making the 15,000 flight hour milestone even more meaningful to the maintenance community that maintains airworthiness… (and such a) ‘milestone is unheard of’ for the aircraft, and she is honored to be part of the team responsible for LUCKY’s milestone, especially in a deployed combat environment,” CENTCOM stated.

Combat mission

Despite LUCKY’s age, it was one of the F-15E Strike Eagles deployed in support of CENTCOM operations and took part in the unspecified combat mission on May 17. It was not the first combat mission for this aircraft.

“LUCKY” is reportedly the only US Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle credited with an air-to-air kill, which occurred on February 14, 1991, during Operation Desert Storm.

It is also unclear how long LUCKY and the other F-15Es of the 4th Fighter Wing will remain stationed at CENTCOM, but maintenance technicians will ensure that the old fighter jet does not stay in the air by luck alone.

“‘LUCKY’ was an honor for the crew,” said the crew chief. “All crew chiefs, past and present, have paved the way for the standard required to maintain this jet. There are people all over the world who know her story and ask me all the time how she is doing.”

Author’s experience and expertise: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a writer from Michigan. He has published over 3,200 articles for more than four dozen magazines, newspapers and websites in his twenty-year career as a journalist. He writes regularly about military equipment, weapons history, cybersecurity, politics and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Author for Forbes and Clearance jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciuYou can send an email to the author: (email protected).

Image credit: Creative Commons.