Article Posted on : - Jul 21, 2010

The F-15 Silent Eagle launches an inert AIM-120 Advanced Medium Range Air to Air Missile from its left-side Conformal Weapons Bay. A Boeing photo

ST. LOUIS (BNS): Demonstrating its weapon-carrying capability, Boeing’s F-15 Silent Eagle strike fighter aircraft has successfully test-launched an Advanced Medium Range Air to Air Missile (AMRAAM) system.

The aircraft test fired an inert AIM-120 AMRAAM from its newly-designed Conformal Weapons Bay (CWB) on July 14, Boeing said.

The demonstration aircraft, designated F-15E1, departed from the Point Mugu Naval Air Weapon Station, California, at 5:59 pm Pacific time and returned to the base at 6:52 pm after conducting the test.

“The test demonstrated the CWB's flightworthiness and ability to deploy an AMRAAM in flight with no adverse effect on the performance of the aircraft or the CWB itself,” Boeing announced.

This was the first time when a weapon was launched from onboard the F-15 Silent Eagle.

The fighter aircraft, fitted with a CWB, had made its maiden flight on July 8. The CWB, which carried an AIM-120 Instrumented Test Vehicle (ITV), successfully opened and closed during that 80-minute flight.

Boeing has designed the new aircraft “in response to international customer requirements for a cost-effective, high-performance fighter aircraft to defend against future threats.”

The strike fighter can carry a variety of air-to-air missiles, such as the AIM-9 and AIM-120, and air-to-ground weapons such as the joint direct attack munition and small diameter bomb. The Silent Eagle’s CWBs can be easily removed, and the aircraft can be rapidly reconfigured into the combat-proven external carriage/conformal fuel tank loadout based on mission requirements, according to Boeing.