An-F-15C fighter aircraft credited with two aerial victories over Iraq during Operation Desert Storm will be towed down GA Highway 247 to the Museum of Aviation on Friday, October 29 at approximately 9:00 a.m. The towing will affect 247 traffic for about an hour.

On February 6, 1991, Captain Thomas Dietz shot down two Russian-built MiG 21s over Iraq using AIM-9 missiles. The aircraft was assigned to the 36th Tactical Fighter Wing, Bitburg AB, Germany at the time flying missions from a base in Saudi Arabia. F-15s are credited with downing 37 aircraft during aerial engagements over Iraq during the first three months of 1991.

The F-15 coming to the Museum is the second aircraft at the Museum with two MiG “kills.” The other is an F-4D that downed two MiGs in 1967 during the Vietnam War. The F-15 Mig Killer was recently retired from the Massachusetts Air National Guard and flown into Robins Air Force Base for use as a maintenance trainer.

The F-15 will be used to support hands-on training of 402nd Maintenance Wings civilian aircraft maintenance technicians assigned to Robins Air Force Base. It and a C-130 already in place will allow maintenance training to take place on aircraft located at the Museum. According to a statement from the 402nd Maintenance Wing, “Journeyman mechanics will be able to utilize this trainer to perform the hands-on task requirements on flight controls, electronic, mechanical, fuel and engine systems. The trainer will also be used to provide a systems familiarization to our entry-level helper trainees when they are first hired. By utilizing this trainer, we will be able to provide quality training with an aircraft available at all times and not affect the production schedule of the 402 Maintenance Wing."

When the F-15C is no longer of use as a maintenance trainer, it will be turned over to the Museum for historical presentation and display.