Check Out This F-15E Strike Eagle Spewing Sparks After Takeoff

Updated Jul 14, 2021 2:51 AM EDT

Aviation photographer Matt Smart today captured an eye-catching sequence of shots of a U.S. Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle suffering a dramatic incident on takeoff from its base at RAF Lakenheath in England. Most surprisingly, perhaps, it seems the aircrew were not necessarily even aware of what had happened, initially at least, and continued their sortie.

Online flight tracking data available from ADS-B Exchange , seen further below, shows the jet taking off at approximately 9:02 AM local time before heading out over the North Sea coast and not returning to the airfield until around 10:56 AM.

“From what I heard the pilot reported no issues with handling etcetera and stayed out for a while; we were expecting him to return to base, but he didn’t,” Matt told The War Zone . “I understand that someone also phoned the base about it to make them aware.”

Unconfirmed reports suggest that the trail of sparks emitted from the F-15E’s right-side Pratt & Whitney F100 turbofan was caused by a broken nozzle petal and actuator.

In normal operation, the actuator controls the nozzle petals, increasing the diameter of the exhaust when the afterburner is engaged, and the thrust output increases dramatically.

In this image can see what appears to be damage to some of the ‘turkey feathers’ that make up the F-15E’s right-side exhaust nozzle., Matt Smart

Whatever the case, it seems there was no immediate cause for alarm from the crew of F-15E, serial number 91-0302, which is assigned to the 492nd Fighter Squadron , the “Madhatters,” part of Lakenheath’s hard-worked 48th Fighter Wing . The parent wing also includes the 493rd Fighter Squadron , “Grim Reapers,” flying the F-15C/D , and the 494th Fighter Squadron, “Panthers,” also equipped with the F-15E. Before long, the base will host the Air Force’s first overseas-based F-35A unit , the 495th Fighter Squadron, “Valkyries.”

While the incident on departure from Lakenheath certainly looked alarming, it’s well known that the F-15E is a tough jet and this one seems to have been able to continue its sortie before returning safely to base. How long the aircrew was oblivious to what was happening at the opposite end of their jet as they climbed out is not clear. Now, however, whatever damage was done will no doubt be left in the capable hands of the base’s maintenance group.

Video of previous F-15E operations by the 492nd Fighter Squadron out of Lakenheath:

We have reached out to RAF Lakenheath for more information and will update this story with any new details we receive.

Thanks to Matt Smart for sharing his photos with us. You can follow Matt on Twitter, and see some of his other shots, here .

Contact the author: thomas@thedrive.com

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更新于美国东部时间2021年7月14日凌晨2:51

航空摄影师马特·斯马特今天拍摄到了一组引人注目的照片，照片显示一架美国空军的F-15E“攻击鹰”战斗机在英国莱肯希思皇家空军基地起飞时遭遇了一起惊险事故。或许最令人惊讶的是，机组人员似乎一开始并没有意识到发生了什么，仍然继续执行了飞行任务。

从 ADS-B Exchange 获得的在线航班跟踪数据显示（如下所示），这架喷气式飞机于当地时间上午 9:02 左右起飞，然后飞越北海沿岸，直到上午 10:56 左右才返回机场。

“据我所知，飞行员报告说飞机操控等方面没有问题，并在外飞行了一段时间；我们原本以为他会返回基地，但他没有，”马特告诉《战区》杂志。“我还了解到有人打电话给基地报告了此事。”

未经证实的报道称，F-15E 右侧普惠 F100 涡扇发动机喷出的火花是由喷嘴瓣片和执行器断裂引起的。

在正常操作中，执行器控制喷嘴瓣片，当加力燃烧室启动时，增大排气口的直径，推力输出急剧增加。

从这张图片中可以看到，F-15E战斗机右侧排气喷嘴上的一些“火鸡羽毛”状装饰似乎受到了损坏。——马特·斯马特

无论如何，隶属于莱肯希思空军基地第48战斗机联队（绰号“疯帽匠”）的第492战斗机中队（序列号91-0302）的F-15E战斗机机组人员似乎并未立即感到恐慌。该联队下辖装备F-15C/D战斗机的第493战斗机中队（绰号“死神”）和同样装备F-15E战斗机的第494战斗机中队（绰号“黑豹”）。不久之后，该基地还将迎来美国空军首个海外部署的F-35A战斗机部队——第495战斗机中队（绰号“女武神”）。

虽然从莱肯希思起飞时发生的事故看起来确实令人担忧，但众所周知，F-15E 是一款坚固耐用的战机，这架飞机似乎能够继续执行任务并最终安全返回基地。目前尚不清楚机组人员在爬升过程中，究竟有多长时间没有注意到飞机另一端发生的事情。不过，现在无论飞机遭受了什么损坏，无疑都将交由基地维护团队进行妥善处理。

莱肯希思空军基地第492战斗机中队以往F-15E作战行动的视频：

我们已联系莱肯希思皇家空军基地以获取更多信息，如有任何新细节，我们将更新此报道。

感谢 Matt Smart 与我们分享他的照片。您可以在 Twitter 上关注 Matt，并在此处查看他的其他作品。

联系作者：thomas@thedrive.com

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