Our friend and editor of the renowned , Jamie Hunter, recently took to the skies The Big Easy in an F-15D with the 122nd Fighter Squadron. As you can see, the photographic results of his adventure are stunning.

Based at Naval Air Station Joint Base New Orleans, the 122nd Fighter Squadron are part of the 154th Fighter Wing of the Louisiana Air National Guard, also known as the Bayou Militia. Like all other Air Guard F-15 Eagle units, the 122nd FS is primarily tasked with watching over the skies near America’s borders. At all times a number of 122nd F-15s sit alert, armed and ready to scramble to intercept everything from wayward private pilots to incoming cruise missiles. Yet with the USAF’s massive drawbacks in force structure over the last decade, Air National Guard F-15 units are now more front-line oriented than ever before. Of the eight non-training and development oriented , five belong to the Air National Guard. As such they can be called upon at a moment’s notice to fight overseas.

Master photographer Rich Cooper recently embedded with the 493rd Fighter Squadron “Grim Reapers”…

An ongoing F-15C/D upgrade path that includes the incredibly powerful APG-63V3 active electronically scanned array radar, the most powerful fighter radar in the world, makes the Eagle a relevant and deadly weapon well after 40 years since its first flight. to keep the vast majority of the existing fleet of F-15C/D Eagles, known as “Golden Eagles,” viable for decades to come.

The annual Air Force Association conference will kick off outside of Washington next week, where…

These photos are just a taste of what will be in the upcoming USAF Air Power Yearbook special edition of Combat Aircraft Monthly. So if you are not already a subscriber, .

A big thanks to Jamie Hunter for sharing these awesome images and make sure to check out his.

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