A BDU-56 “bomb” is loaded onto an F-15 EX Eagle II aircraft assigned to the Oregon Air National Guard’s 142nd Wing during a training mission at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, May 2026.
(U.S. Air Force photo)
Boeing F-15EX Eagle II aircraft from Oregon Air National Guard’s 123d Fighter Squadron, 142nd Fighter Wing, based at the Portland Air National Guard Base, traveled to Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, this past May to conduct the first air-to-ground munitions test. The tests were a pivotal step in enhancing the capability of the unit’s fleet of F-15EX Eagle IIs, the advanced, heavy-payload, two-seat multirole fighters developed for the United States Air Force.
Designed to replace the legacy McDonnell Douglas F-15C/D models, the F-15EX was developed to function as a “missile truck,” a warplane that can carry a massive payload of munitions rather than prioritizing stealth or dog-fighting capabilities. The aircraft can carry up to 29,500 lbs of ordnance, nearly double the older F-15 models and most of any United States military fighters, and it has already been certified and tested to carry heavy, oversized standoff munitions.
Bombs Away
The bomb drop test was significant as it validated another of the multirole combat capabilities of the F-15EX. The initial test drop, which employed BDU-56 practice bombers, highlighted how front-line squadrons could employ the Eagle II to carry heavy, next-generation munitions.
“During their time at Mountain Home, the crew handled 500-pound BDU-50s and 2,000-pound BDU-56s. By outward appearances, these units closely resemble real munitions, but instead of containing explosives, they are filled with concrete,” the 142nd Wing explained. “These ‘bombs’ were loaded onto the F-15 EXs and dropped in the Mountain Home firing range complex.”
The 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron at Eglin AFB, Fla., had previously conducted bombs drop tests from the Eagle II, but the May drills were the first time that an operational F-15EX unit employed the aircraft to load and drop bombs.
Three pilots assigned to the 142nd Wing, each with former experience in air-to-ground operations, spent nine months preparing for the tests in a specially designed training course that focused on the science behind dropping bombs. The aviators were further tasked with creating a program that would, in turn, train the rest of the unit’s pilots on basics.
Dropping bombs is far more complex than it may sound, as “bomb ballistics” must consider how the ordnance travels as it falls, the aerodynamic drag, and even how atmospheric factors like wind speed and direction can push the bomb off its intended course.
“I think it’s a testament to the pilots themselves and the skills that they’ve developed over the years to be able to do that in such a short amount of time,” explained Major Jesse Loya, one of the three pilots who completed the training program.
During 10 missions, the Eagle II crews dropped a total of 24 BDU-50s and 12 BDU-56s, with zero safety incidents and satisfactory scores.
“The team as a whole outperformed any expectations that we held and went above and beyond, and I think the results ended up speaking for themselves,” added Loya. “It was a privilege … just to be able to kind of usher in this new generation of multi-role fighters for us.”
It wasn’t just the pilots who had to undergo training. The weapons loaders, who had prior bomb loading experience, also received new instructions on working with the F-15EX Eagle II.
“The speed at which this wing established a completely new capability is a testament to our Airmen,” said Col. Joshua Hovanas, commander of the 142nd Operations Group. “That rapid progress was powered by the drive and seamless collaboration of the entire team, from the flight line to the cockpit. It speaks volumes about the caliber of our people.”
In August, the aircraft, along with pilots and ground crew, will travel to Nellis AFB, Nevada, to conduct the loading and dropping of live bombs, the next step towards the unit becoming air-to-ground mission capable.
About The F-15EX Eagle II
The United States Air Force confirmed in April that it would acquire at least 267 F-15EX Eagle II fighter jets. The modernized variants of the famed F-15 Eagle maintain the overall design of the fourth-generation fighter that dates back to the mid-1970s, but with more advanced radar systems, cutting-edge electronics, enhanced engines, and improved payload capacity.
Aerospace giant Boeing has touted the fact that the Eagle II does not require new logistics chains, training squadrons, infrastructure modifications, program offices, or even weapons integration. The F-15EX Eagle II is reported to share about 70% of parts with the current F-15C and F-15E Strike Eagle variants being replaced.
Boeing also stated that the F-15EX can facilitate rapid technology insertion, enabling the platform to be updated with new capabilities, with this being accomplished via an “Open Mission System Architecture.” Among the advanced features of the Eagle II is the integration of Advanced Battle Management Systems functionality, which will further enable the F-15EX to operate independently while also allowing it to connect to the U.S. military’s Combat Cloud utilized by fifth-generation aircraft.
It is powered by two General Electric F-110-GE-129 engines, each producing around 29,000 pounds of thrust with afterburner. The engines could enable the aircraft to reach a top speed of Mach 2.5 (two and a half times the speed of sound), or approximately 1,900 mph (3,000 km/h), making it one of the fastest fighter aircraft in service today.
Although it lacks the stealth capabilities and other fifth-generation capabilities of the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II, the U.S. Air Force has called for it to supplement the F-35, as well as the F-22 Raptor, with its standoff weapons and deeper magazine.
Moreover, it was determined that it would be ideally suited to performing homeland and airbase defense duties, which is why it is being rolled out with Air National Guard units.
The 142nd Wing of the Oregon Air National Guard was the first operational unit to receive the aircraft, with the initial F-15EX arriving at the Portland Air National Guard Base two years ago in the summer of 2024.
The Eagle II is also being deployed to Kadena Air Base on Okinawa, Japan. The island, and more specifically the base, has earned the nickname “Keystone of the Pacific” due to its strategic location for U.S. military operations in the Indo-Pacific.
Although just 25 to 27 F-15EX Eagle IIs are now in service, the fighter is noted for having a far higher mission-capable rate than the more advanced fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II.