The Smithsonian’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA has acquired its first-ever F-15 Eagle for permanent display. The aircraft – flown by Cesar “Rico” Rodriguez when he took out two Iraqi MiGs during the Gulf War – is now on public display.
“The Eagle is one of the most iconic American fighter aircraft of the last 50 years, and this particular F-15 has powerful stories to tell,” said Michael Hankins, modern military curator at the museum. “We are thrilled to accept the F-15C into the museum’s collection.”
Its modernized variation, the F-15EX, is now in production and being delivered to the next generation of great American pilots.
