McDonnell Douglas F-15 STOL/MTD

F-15 STOL/MTD /
NASA NF-15B Research Aircraft
F-15 ACTIVE in 1997
Role Technology Demonstrator and Research Aircraft
National origin United States
Manufacturer McDonnell Douglas
First flight 7 September 1988 (STOL/MTD)[1]
Retired 15 August 1991 (STOL/MTD)
30 January 2009
Status Retired from both NASA and military service
Primary users United States Air Force
NASA
Number built 1
Developed from McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle
Career
Registration NASA 837
Serial USAF S/N 71-0290

The McDonnell Douglas F-15 STOL/MTD (Short Takeoff and Landing/Maneuver Technology Demonstrator) is a modified F-15 Eagle. Developed as a technology demonstrator, the F-15 STOL/MTD carried out research for studying the effects of thrust vectoring and enhanced maneuverability. The aircraft used for the project was pre-production TF-15A (F-15B) No. 1 (USAF S/N 71-0290), the first two-seat F-15 Eagle built by McDonnell Douglas (out of 2 prototypes[2]), the sixth F-15 off the assembly line, and was the oldest F-15 flying up to its retirement. It was also used as the avionics testbed for the F-15E Strike Eagle program.[3] The plane was on loan to NASA from the United States Air Force.

This same aircraft would later be used in the F-15 ACTIVE ("Advanced Control Technology for Integrated Vehicles") from 1993 to 1999, and later in the Intelligent Flight Control System programs from 1999 to 2008.

While with NASA, the aircraft's tail number was 837.[4] The aircraft is now on display at Edwards AFB.[5]

  1. ^ "Boeing: History -- Chronology – 1988 – 1992". Boeing. c. 2010. Archived from the original on 12 May 2010. Retrieved 10 March 2019.
  2. ^ "Fact Sheets: MCDONNELL DOUGLAS F-15A". National Museum of the US Air Force. Archived from the original on 3 September 2014. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  3. ^ Aircraft Description NASA 19 April 2010
  4. ^ "NASA Armstrong Fact Sheet: NF-15B Research Aircraft". NASA. 28 February 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  5. ^ "NF-15B". The Historical Marker Database. 11 August 2018. Retrieved 25 September 2020.