In early May, the Oregon Air National Guard’s 142nd Wing loaded practice bombs onto its F-15EX Eagle IIs at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, and dropped them on the range. The training marks the first time an operational unit has employed the Eagle II’s air-to-ground capabilities, according to the wing’s July 17 announcement.
Crews loaded concrete-filled 500-pound BDU-50s and 2,000-pound BDU-56s, built to the size and weight of the real thing, onto the Eagle II’s hardpoints. Over 10 missions, the wing dropped 36 practice bombs, twenty-four 500-pounders and twelve 2,000-pounders, achieving satisfactory scores with zero safety incidents.
Test crews at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, previously dropped bombs from an F-15EX under the 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron, but this is the first time an operational squadron has done so.
The training comes as the 142nd prepares to swap its F-15C Eagles, designed strictly for air-to-air combat, for the multi-role F-15EX. The wing received the Air Force’s first combat-ready Eagle II in June 2024, and is slated to receive 17 more.
Three of the wing’s pilots had prior air-to-ground experience, and all three had been through a nine-month course on the science of dropping bombs and associated tactics. They constructed a condensed version of that course focusing on the basics of bombing and began training the rest of the wing’s pilots.
“The team as a whole outperformed any expectations that we held and went above and beyond, and I think the results ended up speaking for themselves,” said Maj. Jesse Loya, one of the three pilots who developed the training program.
Earlier this year, members of the bomb load crew went to Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, to become certified on bomb loading using F-15E Strike Eagles. Once certified, they returned home and trained the loaders who went to Idaho.
The Air Force has said its growing F-15EX fleet will eventually replace aging F-15E Strike Eagles.
“The speed at which this wing established a completely new capability is a testament to our airmen,” said Col. Joshua Hovanas, commander of the 142nd Operations Group. “This is the first milestone on our path to becoming a premier multi-role fighter squadron.”
The wing returns to Nellis at the end of August to train with live bombs.
Michael Scanlon is a defense journalist covering air and space warfare. A former U.S. Air Force A-10 crew chief, he has supported land and sea programs for the U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard.