Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 News
    
        Photos

    Week in Photos

    Air Force TV

    Commentaries

    Features

    Art

    About Us
    
        Air Force Senior Leaders
    
        SECAF

    CSAF

    CMSAF

    Biographies

    Fact Sheets

    SECAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library
    
        CSAF Leadership Library 2022

    CSAF Leadership Library 2021

    CSAF Reading List Pre-2020 Archive
    
        2018 CSAF Reading List

    2017 CSAF Reading List

    2016 CSAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library 2023

    CMSAF Leadership Library

    50 Years of the CMSAF

    Adjunct Professors

    Air Force Strategic Documents

    Arctic Strategy

    Empowered Airmen

    State Licensure Portability

    Careers

    AF Federal Advisory Committees

    AF 75th Anniversary

    Policy Updates

    AF Content Management

    Contact Us

    AF Sites
    
        Site RegistrationU.S. Air Force LogoAir Force

        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      F-15 C/DEight jets leave the 173rd Fighter Wing at Kingsley Field, Ore. for the last time as they transit to Israel in the first active ramp-to-ramp transfer of aircraft under the purview of Foreign Military Sales, Sept. 11, 2016. The aircraft continue to service the Israeli Air Force today. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Penney Snoozy)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res
        


        F-15 C/DSince 1998, the 173rd Fighter Wing at Kingsley Field, Klamath Falls, Ore., has flown the F-15 Eagle both A/B and C/D models, which are now nearing their eventual retirement. The wing retired 11 airframes this year and expects to see the majority of the fleet retiring in the next two years. (U.S. Air National Guard photo courtesy of the 173rd Fighter Wing)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res

F-15C Eagle fleet prepares to stand down after 50 years of vigilancePublished Sept. 17, 2022
                    
                    By Master Sgt. Jefferson Thompson
                    
                    
                    173rd Fighter Wing
            **KINGSLEY FIELD, Ore. (AFNS) --**For 24 years the **F-15 Eagle** has roared over the city of Klamath Falls, flying countless training missions and supplying air superiority pilots to the U.S. Air Force. 
This aircraft is special with an outstanding combat record and a service life dating back 50 years — a remarkable lifespan for a fighter aircraft. 
Those days are nearing their end as the retirement of the aircraft is fast approaching..
So, where will they go? 
It turns out, several locations — the sunny Arizona desert, Israel, **NASA**, and some are going on to fame and notoriety of sort. 
Sept. 11, 2016 saw eight Kingsley Field F-15s transferred directly to the **Israeli Air Force** where they are still flying today — the first active ramp-to-ramp **transfer of aircraft.**
“Several of our jets were scheduled for retirement and they were going to be taken to the Boneyard; one of the options that came up was FMS [Foreign Military Sales],” said Lt. Col. Matthew Thomas, detachment commander during the transfer of aircraft. 
Another aircraft was transferred to **NASA** where it will be a part of their**chase plane program** helping capture research data for their airborne platforms. 
“We transferred aircraft 78-0515 this last July,” said Senior Master Sgt. Jay Bosse, a maintenance management production scheduler. 
Some Kingsley Field aircraft go on to become a “rock stars”— figuratively speaking — as they will transfer to the **National Museum of the United States Air Force**and subsequently be loaned to a community for public display. Once a city or town expresses an interest and are approved, they go on a waiting list to receive a piece of Air Force history. With the retirement of the Eagle fleet that list is shrinking rapidly as the museum transfers jets to communities around the country.
Kingsley Field has three of these jets; an A-model F-15 that flew here, which was transferred to the museum upon its retirement and put on loan to the base for the static display. Additionally, there is an **F-4 Phantom II** and an**F-16 Fighting Falcon** on display, both of which flew over the base and region in their days of active service. 
The National Museum of the United States Air Force has also approved one Kingsley Field F-15 to transfer to the local community for public display. 
The remaining jets are retiring to Arizona. Commonly known as “**the Boneyard**,” the **Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group**, takes jets and mothballs them in the southwest desert.
Like legions of retirement age, Americans enjoy the low humidity and lack of snow or rain for their later years. It’s an environment that helps preserve the aircraft in the event they should be called back to service.
This year the **173rd Fighter Wing** has seen the retirement of 11 aircraft and will continue to see aircraft move on to their golden years for another year or so.FS 



USAF 



AF 



Air Force 



the boneyard 



Aircraft 



F-15 Strike Eagle 



F-16 Fighting Falcon 



NASA 



F-4 Phantom 



Arizona 



National Museum of the United States Air Force 



history 



heritage 



af75 Featured News
        Senior Leader Priorities
                DAF leaders talk budget, reoptimizing the force
                    
                    DAF leaders speak at National Character and Leadership Symposium
                    
                    DAF members recognized during BEYA STEM awards
                    
                    DAF senior enlisted advisors discuss Airmen, Guardians in the fight
                    
                    SecAF Kendall AFA Warfare Symposium Q&A: Reoptimizing for Great Power CompetitionInnovation
                AFWERX director discusses role of tech startups, quick innovation in Great Power Competition
                    
                    DAF delivers lethality at the speed of data during Project Convergence Capstone 4
                    
                    DAF welcomes industry partners to HQ development program
                    
                    DAF announces Spark Tank 2024 finalists
                    
                    Chief Digital, Artificial Intelligence Office to host hackathon in HawaiiMAJCOM News
                Air Combat Command welcomes new commander
                    
                    USAFE-AFAFRICA commander discusses Integrated Air, Missile Defense during Munich Security Conference
                    
                    Flosi to AFMC family: Embrace change, make every day count
                    
                    AMC rises to increasing global tension
                    
                    USAFE-AFAFRICA commander emphasizes five focus areas during AFA Warfare Symposium
 Quick Links
AccessibilityContact UsEqual OpportunityFOIA | Privacy | Section 508Information QualityInspector GeneralJAG Court-Martial DocketLink DisclaimerNo FEAR ActOpen GovernmentOSI Tip LinePlain LanguageQuestionsResilienceRSSSite MapVeterans Crisis LineCareers
Join the Air ForceAir Force BenefitsAir Force CareersAir Force ReserveAir National GuardCivilian ServiceConnect
            Get Social with Us
            
            Official United States Air Force Website
    Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil