*Please Note: Two F-15s will perform flybys only and two F-15s will be on static display - All Three Days

Based out of Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base in New Orleans, LA the 159th Fighter Wing is a unit in the Louisiana Air National Guard that maintains a fleet of F-15 Eagles. They have operated the F-15s since 1985.

The F-15 Eagle is an all-weather, extremely maneuverable, tactical fighter that allows the the Air Force to gain and maintain air supremacy over the battlefield.

The F-15 first took flight in 1972 and the first combat ready F-15 was delivered in 1976. In 1983, the F-15s began undergoing the Multistage Improvement Program. This led to the first production of the MSIP F-15C in 1985. Improvements included an upgraded central computer; a Programmable Armament Control Set allowing for advanced versions of the AIM-7, AIM-9 and AIM-120A missiles, and an expanded Tactical Electronic Warfare System that provides improvements to the ALR-56C radar warning receiver and ALQ-135 countermeasure set. The final 43 included a Hughes APG-70 radar.

The F-15C/D models are currently in the process of being retired by the U.S. Air Force and will eventually be replaced by the F-15EX.

F-15 Eagle Specs

Primary function: Tactical fighter
Contractor: McDonnell Douglas Corp.
Power plant: Two Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-100, 220 or 229 turbofan engines with afterburners
Thrust: (C/D models) 23,450 pounds each engine
Wingspan: 42.8 feet (13 meters)
Length: 63.8 feet (19.44 meters)
Height: 18.5 feet (5.6 meters)
Weight: 31,700 pounds
Maximum takeoff weight: (C/D models) 68,000 pounds (30,844 kilograms)
Fuel Capacity: 36,200 pounds (three external plus conformal fuel tanks)
Payload: depends on mission
Speed: 1,875 mph (Mach 2 class)
Ceiling: 65,000 feet (19,812 meters)
Range: 3,450 miles (3,000 nautical miles) ferry range with conformal fuel tanks and three external fuel tanks
Crew: F-15A/C, one; F-15B/D/E, two
Armament: One internally mounted M-61A1 20-mm, six-barrel cannon with 940 rounds of ammunition; four AIM-9 Sidewinder and four AIM-120 AMRAAMs or eight AIM-120 AMRAAMs, carried externally.
Initial operating capability: September 1975
Inventory: Total force, 249

Learn more about the F-15 Eagle: https://www.af.mil/About-Us/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/104501/f-15-eagle/