Eglin AFB

Eglin Air Force Base is located 50 miles east of NAS Pensacola. According to a map, it has a lot of sites. The base is close to the east end of Santa Rosa Island, where Pensacola beach is located. Since the area near the sea is a famous resort, the price for motels and hotels is relatively expensive. The Air Force Armament Museum is next to the base.

The Eglin AFB Open House is held once every two years, in April. The USAF Thunderbirds flight demonstration team came. It was a good airshow in the glaring sunlight.

B-1B Boeing B-1B Lancer

The B-1B is a variable-geometry wing bomber. I think that its blended wing/body configuration makes it slender.

The B-1A was initially developed in the 1970s as a replacement for the B-52. However, the program was canceled in 1977 before going into production. The B-1B is an improved variant initiated by the Reagan administration in 1981.

AH-64D Boeing AH-64D Apache Longbow

The AH-64D is an improved variant of the AH-64A. The AH-64D has the Longbow millimetre wave fire control radar on the main mast. In Japan, the AH-64D will be in service as the successor to the AH-1S.

The pilot came to me when I took many pictures of the helicopter. He said that he had flied from the US Army Aviation Technical Test Center in south Alabama. I envied him because it is a little bit inconvenient to come to Eglin AFB from Alabama by car.

AH-64D Behind AH-64D

We can find the radar on the main mast and the "Black Hole" IR Suppression System easily from the rear.

T-6A Raytheon T-6A Texan II

The T-6A is a military trainer version of the Beech/Pilatus PC-9 Mk II for the US Air Force and the Navy. The first operational T-6A was received by the USAF in 2000.

MH-60 Sikorsky MH-60 Pavehawk

The Pavehawk is derived from the Blackhawk.

KC-135 Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker

The KC-135's principal mission is air refueling. The KC-10 is also a taker. The KC-135 is based on the Boeing 707, as well as the E-8C and the RC-135.

KC-135 Boom operators' room in the KC-135

I thought that the KC-135 had almost the same boom operators' room as KC-10's. However, an operator needs to lie on his or her stomach in front of the control panel. The joystick is located under the seat that he or she lies.