The Oregon Air National Guard’s 142nd Wing has used operational F-15EX Eagle II fighters to drop live bombs for the first time during a three-week deployment to Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada. The missions were flown in support of the U.S. Air Force Weapons Instructor Course, with aircraft operating over the Mountain Home range complex and carrying training and combat ordnance including Mk-82 500-pound bombs.
The deployment ran through late August and early September, and imagery released on 9 September showed the jets in action. Spotters also observed F-15EXs departing Nellis with Mk-84 2,000-pound bombs and AN/AAQ-33 Sniper targeting pods. A total of 24 BDU-50s and 12 BDU-56s were dropped across 10 missions, with no safety incidents and satisfactory scores. The aircraft type had previously been tested in an air-to-ground role by the 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron at Eglin Air Force Base, but this was the first live-bomb employment by an operational F-15EX unit. The deployment extends the 142nd Wing’s mission beyond its traditional air-defence role.