@ Sacramento, CA
October 2022
A F-15C Eagle thunders over show center with afterburners blazing during a high speed pass at the 2022 California Capital Airshow. The F-15 airframe contains 25.8% titanium by weight, most of it concentrated around the engines, seen here as the bare metal structure on the aft fuselage. Unlike other contemporary fighter jets, note the exposed engine nozzles which lack the aerodynamic petal shroud. Problems with the design led to a decision to forego the shroud, resulting in a 3% increase in drag.
This Eagle is assigned to the 194th Fighter Squadron, a unit of the California Air National Guard’s 144th Fighter Wing based at Fresno Air National Guard Base. First flown in 1972, close to 1,200 Eagles have been built to date. The Eagle is among the most successful fighters of the modern era, with over 100 victories and no losses in aerial combat. An updated version, the F-15EX Eagle II, is in production with 144 ordered.
