The Oregon Air National Guard has taken a major step toward giving its newest fighter a broader combat role. On August 27, the 142nd Wing flew F-15EX Eagle II fighters carrying live bombs during a three-week deployment to Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada.
The exercisemarkedthe first live-bomb drops by an operational F-15EX unit, according to photos and captions released by the wing Wednesday.
The deployment supported the U.S. Air Force Weapons Instructor Course at Nellis. The 142nd Wing described the exercise as a “historical milestone” because its operational F-15EXs had dropped live bombs for the first time. The achievement moves theaircraftcloser to carrying out air-to-ground missions as part of the wing’s regular capabilities.
First live bombs at Nellis
Photos from August 27 show F-15EXs operating at Nellis with different configurations. Some aircraft carried a live 500-pound Mk-82 bomb on the centerline station, while others were fitted with an AN/AAQ-33 Sniper targeting pod. The Air Force has not disclosed how many live bombs were released during the deployment.
Earlier practice drops
The live-bomb activity followed an earlier training milestone at Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho. In May, the 142nd Wing became the first operational F-15EX unit to conduct bomb drops of any kind. The wing later reported that its aircraft released 24 BDU-50 practice bombs in the 500-pound class and 12 BDU-56 practice bombs in the 2,000-pound class across 10 missions.
Building air-to-ground skills
The 142nd Wing previously operated the F-15C, which was primarily designed for air-superiority missions. The unit received its first operational F-15EX in June 2024. Three pilots with previous air-to-ground experience then developed a shortened training program to prepare the rest of the wing's pilots for the new mission set.
Ground crews learned too
Weapons training also extended to personnel responsible for loading the aircraft. A small group of weapons loaders with previous bomb-loading experience became qualified to load bombs on F-15E aircraft at Nellis earlier this year. Those personnel later helped train the loaders who supported the Mountain Home missions.
The next step toward combat capability
The wing had already indicated that live-bomb training at Nellis would follow the practice missions at Mountain Home. The progression is intended to help the unit reach air-to-ground mission capability with the F-15EX. "It's about building a dynamic and versatile organization, and we are just getting started," Col. Joshua Hovanas, commander of the 142nd Operations Group, said.
A heavy weapons carrier
The F-15EX is designed to carry a maximum payload of 29,500 pounds and can accommodate as many as 12 air-to-air missiles. The aircraft seen at Nellis did not carry conformal fuel tanks, which provide additional weapons stations and increase the fighter's capacity for carrying equipment and weapons.
A growing F-15EX fleet
The US Air Force is also expanding its planned F-15EX fleet. A fiscal 2023 budget request had proposed limiting the purchase to 80 aircraft. By April, the service had increased its planned fleet size to 267 jets, reflecting a much larger role for the Eagle II across future US Air Force operations.
