The Air Force announced today it has accepted the first F-15EX from Boeing and expects to receive the second aircraft by the end of April.The service accepted the first jet on Thursday, which will be delivered to Eglin Air Force Base, FL, for testing. The remaining six aircraft in the first delivery lot are set to be accepted in fiscal year 2023.In a press release today, the Air Force notes it has adopted an expedited testing plan that relies on data from other F-15 variants as well as U.S.-only subsystems and Operational Flight Program software. Inside Defense reported this week that the Pentagon has waived full-up system level survivability testing for the aircraft, deeming it "unreasonably expensive and impractical."An alternate test plan, approved by the director of operational test and evaluation, is expected to result in $108 million in cost avoidance and take at least a year less to complete, the service said in its justification for seeking a testing waiver.
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