Boeing promises 'Raptor-like' F-15 Advanced Eagle displays in UK

Boeing F15 displays UK
Boeing F-15 Advanced Eagle, better known as F-15QA (Qatar Advanced) following the order by Qatar as a launch customer in 2017.

Boeing has promised a memorable debut of the F-15 Advanced Eagle in the UK, according to defense news website ESD. A pair of F-15 Advanced Eagle fighters will perform "Raptor-like" aerobatic routines during upcoming air displays at the Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) and Farnborough International Airshow.

Boeing will send four F-15QA jets from its St Louis facility in the UK: two to conduct aerobatic displays, one for static display and a reserve aircraft. They will initially fly at RAF Lakenheath, home of the US Air Force's European F-35/F-15 fighter wing, to prepare for flight demonstrations at RIAT and Farnborough. Following demonstrations in the UK, the four F-15QAs will be ferried on to their new home at Al Udeid Air Base by pilots of the Qatar Emiri Air Force (QEAF).

Although the Advanced Eagle does not feature the thrust-vectoring technology of the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor air superiority fighter, Boeing will be using the flying pair of Qatar-bound F-15QA fighters – one flying "clean" and one flying "dirty", loaded with 12 captive air training missiles (CATMs) – to demonstrate the Advanced Eagle's agility even when fully loaded with weapons.

Boeing test pilot Jason "Mongoose" Dotter will fly the "clean" display, with Kevin "Claw" Tinsley on board in the weapon system officer (WSO) role, while Matt "Phat" Giese will fly the "dirty" demo, with Michael "Houdini" Quintini as the WSO.

Despite the somewhat restricted airspace around Farnborough, the routines there and at RIAT are to be very similar, with a Boeing spokeswoman noting that "Both stay close the crowd."

The aerobatic routines were first demonstrated at the World Defense Show in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in February 2024.

The Boeing F-15 Advanced Eagle was ordered as a launch customer by Qatar in mid-2017. Upon completion of deliveries in 2023, Doha has ordered an additional 12 aircraft. Boeing is currently pitching the aircraft in Poland, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia.

Posted by Matteo Sanzani

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