This Nellis-Based F-15A Was Repainted in Time for Next Week’s Aviation Nation 2017 Airshow.
Public affairs and local Las Vegas news outlets have released a new video of an F-15A Eagle with a special set of markings honoring the victims of the largest mass shooting in U.S. history in nearby Las Vegas, Nevada on October 1, 2017. The tragic shooting claimed 58 lives.
The F-15A has what appears to be applique markings on the left side of the fuselage under the wing that reads “Vegas STRONG” in white against the air force grey tactical color. The markings under the right-side wing read “U.S. AIR FORCE”
The saying is an adaptation of a popular U.S. tagline that has been used in a U.S. Army (not Air Force) recruiting campaign called “ARMY STRONG” since 2006. The “Army Strong” tagline was originally developed by an advertising agency named McCann Worldgroup. It has since become a household phrase. The phrase was also adapted as “BOSTON STRONG” following the Boston Marathon bombing in April, 2013.
The left tail of the newly repainted F-15 wears an interpretation of the highly recognized Las Vegas sign memorializing the tragedy. It reads, “We Are VEGAS STRONG, October 1, 2017”.
The right-side tail wears a stylized graphic of the Air Force Memorial in Washington, D.C.
The F-15A will be on static display at the 2017 Aviation Nation Airshow at Nellis AFB on November 11 and 12. The Aviation Nation Airshow, one of the most unique airshows in the world showcasing the entire USAF arsenal in a setting that permits unparalleled aerial and static displays, will feature the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds flight demonstration team, a tactical air combat display, numerous static displays of aircraft, some of which can only be seen at Nellis AFB, and a Saturday flyover the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber from Whiteman AFB, Missouri.
TheAviationist.com will provide full coverage of Aviation Nation 2017 on this website.
A previous version of this article mistakenly reported the involved aircraft is an F-15C wheareas it is an F-15A.
