{"id":31631525,"date":"2026-11-07T13:32:45","date_gmt":"2026-11-07T12:32:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/f-15ex-conformal-fuel-tanks-142nd-wing-eagle-ii-2026\/"},"modified":"2026-11-07T13:33:17","modified_gmt":"2026-11-07T12:33:17","slug":"f-15ex-conformal-fuel-tanks-142nd-wing-eagle-ii-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/f-15ex-conformal-fuel-tanks-142nd-wing-eagle-ii-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"F-15EX Conformal Fuel Tanks: Oregon&#8217;s Eagle IIs Finally Bulk Up"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\r\n<!-- mfsh:top -->\r\n\r\n<style>\r\n.mfsh-trigger{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:10px;height:44px;padding:0 18px;margin:0 0 26px;border:2px solid 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The F-15EX was an air-to-air replacement for the F-15C\/D, the argument went, and air-to-air Eagles fly with drop tanks. Conformal fuel tanks were for the bomb trucks.<\/p>\r\n<p>Now two Oregon jets are wearing them anyway. Operational F-15EX Eagle IIs of the Oregon Air National Guard's 142nd Wing have started flying with conformal fuel tanks, or CFTs, TWZ reported on 6 November 2026, and the wing has confirmed it to the outlet.<\/p>\r\n<div style=\"background:#f4f6f9;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:18px 22px;margin:8px 0 28px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:700;color:#0d1117\">Quick Facts<\/p><ul style=\"margin:0;padding-left:18px;line-height:1.7\"><li><strong>Aircraft:<\/strong> Boeing F-15EX Eagle II<\/li><li><strong>Unit:<\/strong> 142nd Wing, Oregon Air National Guard, Portland<\/li><li><strong>Jets with CFTs:<\/strong> Two, including serial 20-0012<\/li><li><strong>Tanks from:<\/strong> Air Combat Command; one CFT carries 366th Fighter Wing insignia<\/li><li><strong>Flying since:<\/strong> About two weeks before 6 November 2026, per the Oregon ANG<\/li><li><strong>Fuel per CFT:<\/strong> About 750 US gallons, per TWZ<\/li><li><strong>Extra pylons:<\/strong> Six per CFT, per TWZ<\/li><li><strong>F-15EX fleet:<\/strong> 22 delivered as of September 2026, out of 267 planned<\/li><li><strong>First reported:<\/strong> TWZ, 6 November 2026<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Borrowed Tanks, Approved Configuration<\/h2>\r\n<p>The F-15EX conformal fuel tanks were first spotted by photographer Bill Shemley, who caught the jets operating at Portland International Airport. The airfield is shared with Portland Air National Guard Base, home of the 142nd. One of the jets is serial number 20-0012, from the first batch of production Eagle IIs that began arriving in Oregon in 2024.<\/p>\r\n<p>The wing did not deny it. Quite the opposite: it told TWZ exactly where the tanks came from and how long they had been flying.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><em>&ldquo;We are currently using conformals that we received from ACC on two F-15EX Eagle IIs. We were given the opportunity from ACC and have flown the approved configuration for the last two weeks.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>SMSgt. Steve Conklin<\/strong> &mdash; Public affairs, Oregon Air National Guard; speaking to TWZ, 6 November 2026<\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>That puts the first flights in the second half of October, although the wing has not given an exact date. Afterburner could not find any official imagery of the configuration, which leaves Shemley's photograph as the main public evidence so far.<\/p>\r\n<p>There is a nice detail in it. The tank visible in the photo carries the insignia of the 366th Fighter Wing, the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/f-15e-strike-eagle\/\">F-15E Strike Eagle<\/a> outfit at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho. The 142nd has spent the past year or so sending jets, pilots and maintainers to Mountain Home for air-to-ground training, so the hand-me-down hardware has an obvious family tree.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/11\/f-15ex-conformal-fuel-tanks-142nd-wing-eagle-ii-2026-1.jpg\" alt=\"One F-15EX Eagle II between two dark grey F-15E Strike Eagles flying in formation behind a tanker over the Pacific\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">An F-15EX Eagle II and two F-15E Strike Eagles of the 85th Test and Evaluation Squadron over the Pacific on 29 June 2026, en route to Kadena. CFTs are standard on the Strike Eagle, and the F-15EX was designed to carry the same tanks. Photo: U.S. Air Force \/ Staff Sgt. Dwane Young (public domain)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">The Tanks the Air Force Said It Didn't Need<\/h2>\r\n<p>The F-15EX was built to take the same CFTs that are standard on the F-15E and on the F-15QA for Qatar, the jet it was directly derived from. Test Eagle IIs have flown with surplus CFTs for years. But when the first operational jets were funded, the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/air-forces\/united-states-air-force\/\">US Air Force<\/a> left the tanks off the shopping list.<\/p>\r\n<p>In 2023 a service spokesperson explained the logic to TWZ: the jets funded from FY20 to FY23 were a direct replacement for the <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/f-15-eagle\/\">F-15C\/D<\/a> in the air-to-air and homeland defence role, the F-15C\/D does not typically fly with CFTs, and the first operational F-15EXs therefore had none funded. The Eagle IIs would hang drop tanks under the wings instead, like the Eagles they replaced.<\/p>\r\n<p>That was always a slightly awkward position. F-15C\/Ds did fly with CFTs, then called FAST Packs, late in the Cold War, mainly from bases in Alaska and Iceland where long patrols and quick-reaction alert were the job. And the Air Force's Fiscal Year 2027 budget request, released earlier this year, explicitly asked for CFT funding for all 24 Eagle IIs in production Lot 8.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0 6px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/6PYRCtUbs-U\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div><p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin:0 0 24px;font-style:italic\">The National Guard's own film on flying the F-15EX Eagle II, the jet the 142nd Wing now operates. It predates the CFT configuration.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">What 750 Gallons Buys You<\/h2>\r\n<p>The numbers explain the change of heart. Each CFT holds some 750 gallons of fuel and adds six pylons, according to TWZ. A 600-gallon underwing drop tank holds 150 gallons less, occupies a hardpoint that could carry a weapon, and creates far more drag.<\/p>\r\n<p>There is no free lunch, of course. CFTs affect speed and manoeuvrability, and unlike drop tanks they cannot be jettisoned when a fight starts. Former F-15C\/D pilots have told TWZ how much they valued punching off their wing tanks to clean up the jet for air combat.<\/p>\r\n<p>But the Eagle II's world has changed. In July the Oregon Guard dropped training bombs from an F-15EX for the first time at Mountain Home, and in September one of its jets released a live bomb during training out of <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/air-bases\/nellis\/\">Nellis<\/a>, as Afterburner reported. Bombs, range and payload are exactly where conformal tanks earn their keep, and the Pacific, with its long distances and scarce tankers, is where the Air Force wants that reach.<\/p>\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">From Eagle Replacement to Strike Eagle Successor<\/h2>\r\n<p>The bigger picture makes the tanks look inevitable. As of September the Air Force had received 22 F-15EXs, test jets included, out of a planned fleet that has roughly doubled from 129 to 267. The service has said the larger buy is meant to help begin recapitalising the ageing F-15E fleet, and it has been retiring its older F100-PW-220-powered Strike Eagles, roughly half of the F-15Es in the inventory.<\/p>\r\n<p>Replace Strike Eagles with Eagle IIs and you inherit the Strike Eagle's missions, conformal tanks included. TWZ notes it is still unclear how the Air Force plans to fit CFTs across the whole operational fleet, including the Eagle IIs bound for <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/air-bases\/kadena\/\">Kadena<\/a> in Japan.<\/p>\r\n<p>For now, two Oregon Eagles are flying the configuration the Air Force once said they would not need, on tanks borrowed from Idaho. It is not a programme decision yet. It is, however, a very large hint.<\/p>\r\n<p><em>Sources: TWZ (including statement from Oregon Air National Guard public affairs), U.S. Air Force and Air National Guard imagery via Wikimedia Commons, Afterburner archive<\/em><\/p>\r\n<!-- mfsh:bottom -->\r\n\r\n<button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-trigger mfsh-bottom\" data-mfsh-placement=\"bottom\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share this story<\/button>\r\n\r\n<!-- \/mfsh:bottom -->\r\n\r\n<style>.mfq{margin:34px 0 8px}.mfq h2{font:26px\/1.3 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;padding-top:22px;margin:0 0 6px}.mfq .qa details{border-top:1px solid #5C91FF;margin:0;padding:0}.mfq .qa details:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee}.mfq .qa summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;gap:16px;padding:22px 26px;font:18px\/1.7 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117}.mfq .qa summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mfq .qa summary::after{content:\"+\";font:24px Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#3568e0;flex:0 0 auto}.mfq .qa details[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mfq .qa details:hover summary{color:#3568e0}.mfq .qa .a{font:16px\/1.7 \"Gilroy regular\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#454e5e;padding:0 26px 24px}.mfq .qa .a a{color:#3568e0}@media(max-width:680px){.mfq .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}.mfq .qa .a{padding:0 14px 20px}}<\/style>\r\n\r\n\r\n<section class=\"mfq\"><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2><div class=\"qa\"><details open><summary>Are operational F-15EX Eagle IIs flying with conformal fuel tanks?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Yes. Two operational F-15EX Eagle IIs of the Oregon Air National Guard's 142nd Wing are flying with conformal fuel tanks, TWZ reported on 6 November 2026. The wing told TWZ it received the tanks from Air Combat Command and had flown the approved configuration for about two weeks.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>When did the 142nd Wing F-15EX first fly with conformal fuel tanks?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The exact date has not been published. On 6 November 2026, Oregon Air National Guard public affairs told TWZ the wing had flown the approved configuration for the last two weeks, which places the first flights in the second half of October 2026. No official imagery of the configuration had been released.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Why did the US Air Force not buy conformal fuel tanks for the first F-15EX jets?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The US Air Force said in 2023 that the F-15EX jets funded from FY20 to FY23 were a direct replacement for the F-15C\/D in the air-to-air and homeland defence role. Because the F-15C\/D does not typically fly with conformal fuel tanks, the first operational F-15EXs had no CFTs funded.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How much fuel does an F-15 conformal fuel tank hold?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Each F-15 conformal fuel tank holds some 750 US gallons of fuel and adds six weapons pylons, according to TWZ. By comparison, a 600-gallon underwing drop tank holds 150 gallons less, occupies a hardpoint and creates more drag. Conformal tanks cannot be jettisoned in flight, however.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Where did the 142nd Wing get its F-15EX conformal fuel tanks?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The 142nd Wing received its conformal fuel tanks from Air Combat Command. One tank visible in a photograph of serial 20-0012 carries the insignia of the 366th Fighter Wing, the F-15E Strike Eagle unit at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, where the 142nd has been training for air-to-ground missions.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>How many F-15EX Eagle IIs does the US Air Force plan to buy?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The US Air Force plans a fleet of 267 F-15EX Eagle IIs, roughly double the previous programme of record of 129 aircraft. As of September 2026 the service had received 22 F-15EXs, including test jets. The larger buy is meant to help begin recapitalising the ageing F-15E Strike Eagle fleet.<\/div><\/details><\/div><\/section>\r\n\r\n\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Are operational F-15EX Eagle IIs flying with conformal fuel tanks?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Yes. Two operational F-15EX Eagle IIs of the Oregon Air National Guard's 142nd Wing are flying with conformal fuel tanks, TWZ reported on 6 November 2026. The wing told TWZ it received the tanks from Air Combat Command and had flown the approved configuration for about two weeks.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"When did the 142nd Wing F-15EX first fly with conformal fuel tanks?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The exact date has not been published. On 6 November 2026, Oregon Air National Guard public affairs told TWZ the wing had flown the approved configuration for the last two weeks, which places the first flights in the second half of October 2026. No official imagery of the configuration had been released.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Why did the US Air Force not buy conformal fuel tanks for the first F-15EX jets?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The US Air Force said in 2023 that the F-15EX jets funded from FY20 to FY23 were a direct replacement for the F-15C\/D in the air-to-air and homeland defence role. Because the F-15C\/D does not typically fly with conformal fuel tanks, the first operational F-15EXs had no CFTs funded.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How much fuel does an F-15 conformal fuel tank hold?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Each F-15 conformal fuel tank holds some 750 US gallons of fuel and adds six weapons pylons, according to TWZ. By comparison, a 600-gallon underwing drop tank holds 150 gallons less, occupies a hardpoint and creates more drag. Conformal tanks cannot be jettisoned in flight, however.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Where did the 142nd Wing get its F-15EX conformal fuel tanks?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The 142nd Wing received its conformal fuel tanks from Air Combat Command. One tank visible in a photograph of serial 20-0012 carries the insignia of the 366th Fighter Wing, the F-15E Strike Eagle unit at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, where the 142nd has been training for air-to-ground missions.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How many F-15EX Eagle IIs does the US Air Force plan to buy?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The US Air Force plans a fleet of 267 F-15EX Eagle IIs, roughly double the previous programme of record of 129 aircraft. As of September 2026 the service had received 22 F-15EXs, including test jets. The larger buy is meant to help begin recapitalising the ageing F-15E Strike Eagle fleet.\"}}]}<\/script><div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/f-15ex-live-bombs-142nd-wing-nellis-first-2026\/\">F-15EX Drops Live Bombs for the First Time at Nellis AFB<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/f-15ex-eagle-ii-267-jets-pentagon-report-risks-2026\/\">F-15EX Eagle II: The Pentagon's Warning on Doubling the Buy<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/f-15ex-missile-warning-system-sources-sought-usaf-2026\/\">F-15EX Missile Warning: USAF Seeks System It Skipped Buying<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/drop-tanks-explained-why-fighter-jets-jettison-external-fuel-tanks\/\">Drop Tanks Explained: Why Fighter Jets Throw Away Their Fuel Tanks<\/a><\/p><\/div>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Two operational F-15EX Eagle IIs of the Oregon Air National Guard&#8217;s 142nd Wing are now flying with conformal fuel tanks borrowed from Air Combat Command, a configuration the US Air Force once said its front-line jets would not need.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":31631487,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[664,670],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31631525","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-military-aviation","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.8 - 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