NASA recently built a new engine thrust stand at its Armstrong facility located at the northern edge of Edwards AFB. It can hold back 60,000 pounds, allowing crews to do engine runs on F-15 and F/A-18s with both engines running at full power simultaneously, including F-15B #836, the oldest serving Eagle in the US inventory.

The F-15B packs a pair of Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-100 turbofans that punch out about 24,000lbs of thrust each. With both engines in full burner the jet can gulp a.

Also of interest is that NASA’s F-15B wears streamlined covers over its ‘turkey feather’ exhausts, a feature that was deleted early on by the USAF due to shedding and maintenance. The addition of turkey feather covers gives the F-15 a few more percentage points in aerodynamic performance.

Regardless of the metrics and details, watching a an F-15 in full blower at sunset is just a marvelous sight to behold (for our mobile users):

Photo of F-15 #836 via NASA