The F-15QA (Qatar Advanced) that left the runway forcing the crew to eject at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport, has been recovered.
As already reported, a Boeing F-15QA was involved in a ground ejection incident at MidAmerica St. Louis Airport on May 18, 2021.
According to the Air Force, that later on the same day released a statement on the mishap, the F-15QA “recently accepted by the Air Force from the Boeing Corporation, departed the runway today at MidAmerica Airport, Ill. Two U.S. active-duty pilots who were on board ejected safely and received minor injuries. The aircraft was slated to be transferred to the Qatari Air Force through the Foreign Military Sales program. The incident is currently under investigation.”
As per standard procedure for aircraft departing the runway, the two crew members, one from the U.S. Air Force and one from the Navy, both assigned to the DCMA (Defense Contract Management Agency), ejected from the F-15QA and sustained minor injuries. One was taken to the hospital for additional checks.
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The aircraft, that sports the tail code 0010 (QA010/17-0010), has been recovered and while the airframe seems to be in “good shape”, the damage to the glass cockpit, as a consequence of the ejection seat rockets, will have to be assessed.
Boeing was awarded a contract to manufacture 36 F-15QA fighter jets for the Qatar Emiri Air Force (QEAF), the first of which will be delivered this year.
The F-15QA (Qatar Advanced), features some of the features of the F-15EX Eagle II developed for the U.S. Air Force. Among those are new outer wing hardpoints for increased payload, AN/APG-82(V)1 Advanced Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) radar, Joint Helmet-Mounted Cueing Systems (JHMCS) for both the pilot and the Weapon Systems Officer (WSO), 10×19-in Large Area Displays (LADs) and low-profile Head-Up Display (HUD) in both cockpits, digital fly-by-wire and General Electric F110-GE-129 engines.
