South Korea Receives the Tenth Slam Eagle

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The 41th F-15K seen on its first flight. Photo: Boeing

Boeing has delivered the tenth F-15K Slam Eagle to the Republic of Korea Air Force on May 30, 2011. Photo: Boeing

The Republic of Korea Air Force (RoKAF) received the tenth F-15K Slam Eagle on May 30, delivered by the Boeing Company at the RoKAF Daegu Airbase. The Slam Eagles, a derivative of the F-15E Strike Eagle, marked F-15K49 and F-15K50 left Boeing St. Louis facility on May 25 and made stops in Palmdale, Calif., Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, and Anderson Air Force Base, Guam, before arriving in Korea.

These aircraft are part of the South Korean Next Fighter II program buying additional 21 advanced strike fighters in the U.S.Boeing delivered the first six of 21 F-15Ks it is producing under the Next Fighter II contract in 2010 and two more in April. The remaining 11 aircraft will be delivered through April 2012. Six of the new F-15K Slam Eagles are scheduled to return to the U.S. next year, to participate in the ‘Red Flag’ air combat training exercise at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., in early 2012. This follow-on order was signed in 2010, after Boeing completed the delivery of the initial order of 40 aircraft in 2008.