Operational F-15EXs Have Started Flying With Conformal Fuel Tanks
A pair of operational F-15EX Eagle II fighters assigned to the Oregon Air National Guard’s 142nd Wing are now flying with conformal fuel tanks (CFT). While F-15EX test jets have been flying with surplus CFTs for years, the U.S. Air Force did not originally feel that combat-coded jets needed them to perform their primary air-to-air missions. For the Eagle II, CFTs offer boosts in range and capacity to carry stores, especially air-to-ground munitions, and are another sign of how the jet’s mission requirements are evolving.
Photographer Bill Shemley brought the CFT-equipped F-15EX Eagle IIs to our attention after spotting them operating recently at Portland International Airport. The airport is collocated with Portland Air National Guard Base, the home of the 142nd Wing. One of the jets in question is serial number 20-0012, part of the first batch of production Eagle IIs, which started being delivered to the 142nd in 2024. As of September, the Air Force had received 22 F-15EXs, including test jets, out of a planned fleet of 267 Eagle IIs. The service revealed earlier this year that the target fleet size had roughly doubled, up from the previously stated program of record of 129 aircraft.
A stock picture of another F-15EX from the first production batch, serial number 20-0007, delivered to the 142nd Wing. Note the lack of conformal fuel tanks (CFTs) on this aircraft. USAF
“We are currently using conformals that we received from ACC [Air Combat Command] on two F-15EX Eagle IIs,” SMSgt. Steve Conklin, a public affairs officer with the Oregon Air National Guard, told TWZ when asked for more information. “We were given the opportunity from ACC and have flown the approved configuration for the last two weeks.”
We are still seeking additional details. The CFT that is visible in Shemley’s picture notably has the insignia of the 366th Fighter Wing, which flies F-15E Strike Eagles from Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho. In the past year or so, the 142nd has been sending Eagle IIs, pilots, and ground personnel to Mountain Home to conduct air-to-ground mission training.
A close-up look at the 366th Fighter Wing insignia on the CFT, at left, and a full-color version of the insignia, at right. Bill Shemley/USAF
The F-15EX is designed to use the same CFTs that are standard on the F-15E, as well as all other members of the extended Strike Eagle family. This includes the F-15QA for Qatar, on which the Eagle II was directly based. Each CFT can hold some 750 gallons of fuel and adds six additional pylons.
Air Force personnel install a conformal fuel tank (CFT) onto an F-15E Strike Eagle. USAF A pair of CFT-equipped Qatari F-15QAs. USAF
As mentioned, the Air Force did not originally plan to equip operational F-15EXs with CFTs. This decision was made despite the aircraft having the necessary provisions and initial testing having been done using jets fitted with them. Instead, the Eagle IIs were expected to fly with external drop tanks under their wings, just like the F-15C/D Eagles they were slated to replace.
An F-15EX test jet with CFTs. USAF
“The F-15EX program as funded from FY20-FY23 is a direct replacement for the F-15C/D in the air-to-air and homeland defense role,” an Air Force spokesperson explained to TWZ back in 2023. “The F-15C/D does not typically operate with CFTs, and the first operational F-15EX aircraft do not have CFTs funded.”
A number of Air Force F-15C/Ds did fly with CFTs, also known as “FAST Packs,” during the twilight of the Cold War and its immediate aftermath. Those aircraft operated primarily from bases in Alaska and Iceland where long-range patrols and quick-reaction alert (QRA) missions were the norm.
A late Cold War-era picture of an Iceland-based F-15C equipped with “FAST Packs.” USAF
“The DAF [Department of the Air Force] is exploring options to resource a number of advanced capabilities for the F-15EX fleet, including both new and refurbished CFTs, in current and future budget submissions,” the spokesperson added at that time.
Where things currently stand when it comes to equipping all operational F-15EXs with CFTs, including on Eagle IIs destined for forward-deployment in Japan, is still not entirely clear. The service’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget proposal, released earlier this year, did include an explicit request for funding for CFTs to go with all 24 Eagle IIs in the eighth production batch, or Lot 8.
A “ZZ” tail-coded F-15EX destined to eventually be forward-deployed in Japan. USAF
Back in 2023, TWZ did acknowledge the logic, at least up front, of eschewing CFTs on the F-15EX given the air-to-air mission focus for those jets. At the same time, we pointed out then that the omission of conformal tanks could still impact Eagle IIs operating in those roles. A 600-gallon underwing drop tank holds 150 gallons less fuel than a CFT and takes up a hardpoint that could be used to carry other stores. Drop tanks also impart far greater drag, reducing fuel economy and range in certain flight profiles.
CFTs do still have their own effects on speed and maneuverability. Unlike drop tanks, they cannot be jettisoned in flight, either. F-15C/D pilots that TWZ has spoken with in the past have talked about the benefits of being able to get an immediate boost in performance and instantly optimize their jets for air-to-air combat by dropping their underwing tanks.
An F-15C carrying two underwing drop tanks. USAF
A CFT-equipped F-15EX would still be able to carry unde
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