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Irv Burrows, First F-15 Pilot, Passes Away
On Apr. 10, 2026, Irving Louis Burrows Jr., who first bridled the iconic F-15 Eagle’s power in the air, on Jul. 27, 1972, passed away at 98 years.
“Irv was a legend. When he visited our team in 2018, at age 90, everyone wanted to meet the first person to fly the Eagle,” said Steve Parker, president and chief executive officer of Boeing Defense, Space & Security, in a Boeing news release. “At the time, I was the F-15 program vice president and program manager, a role Irv had once held, so the visit was especially meaningful. The inspiration and insight he shared stayed with me throughout my career, and his contributions to the F-15 program, to Boeing and to our nation are treasured by all who knew, worked with and flew alongside him.”
Burrows graduated first in his class from the US Air Force (USAF) pilot training and flew 100 combat mission during the Korean War. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and two Air Medals for his service with the USAF. He started his career with Boeing heritage company McDonnell Aircraft, in 1956, as a data engineer and later as a production test pilot.
Burrows was promoted to chief test pilot in 1974 and served until 1976. He retired as executive vice president of McDonnell Aircraft Company, a division of McDonnell Douglas, in 1991.
One lone Eagle
“During a training class of U.S. Air Force pilots in the flight simulator building here in St. Louis, Irv was visiting and taking a ‘fighter’ through its paces in the domed simulator,” Matt Giese, Boeing Test & Evaluation (BT&E) proprietary program chief pilot, and former F-15 chief pilot recalls. “Everyone broke from the class and ran upstairs to meet him, shake his hand, and hear about what that first F-15 Eagle flight was like. It was mesmerizing.”
An official request to perform a “flyover” during Burrows’ service at the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery was submitted to the USAF, Defense Contract Management Agency and Federal Aviation Administration. All approved.
As a result, a lone F-15 performed a flyby to honor Burrows.
“Thousands of trained pilots around the world have flown the F-15 fighter to protect nations and provide security in a troubled world,” Giese said. “But on this day, one lone Eagle above us honored the man who flew it first.”
It was Jul. 27, 1972 at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., when the F-15 Eagle took its first flight over the Mojave Desert under the hand of McDonnel-Douglas test pilot Irving L. Burrows.
Twenty-eight months later it was delivered to the USAF where it has served continuously for the last 54 years.
In January 1976, the first Eagle destined for a combat squadron was delivered.
The single-seat F-15C and two-seat F-15D models entered the Air Force inventory beginning in 1979. These new models have Production Eagle Package (PEP 2000) improvements, including 2,000 pounds (900 kilograms) of additional internal fuel, provision for carrying exterior conformal fuel tanks and increased maximum takeoff weight of up to 68,000 pounds (30,600 kilograms).
F-15EX Eagle II
The F-15 Multistage Improvement Program was initiated in February 1983, with the first production MSIP F-15C produced in 1985. Improvements included an upgraded central computer; a Programmable Armament Control Set allowing for advanced versions of the AIM-7, AIM-9 and AIM-120A missiles, and an expanded Tactical Electronic Warfare System that provides improvements to the ALR-56C radar warning receiver and ALQ-135 countermeasure set. The final 43 included a Hughes APG-70 radar.
F-15C, D and E models were deployed to the Persian Gulf in 1991 in support of Operation Desert Storm where they proved their superior combat capability. F-15C fighters accounted for 34 of the 37 Air Force air-to-air victories. F-15E’s were operated mainly at night, hunting SCUD missile launchers and artillery sites using the LANTIRN system.
They have since been deployed for air expeditionary force deployments and operations Southern Watch (no-fly zone in Southern Iraq), Provide Comfort in Turkey, Allied Force in Bosnia, Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, Iraqi Freedom in Iraq and Epic Fury in Iran.
The F-15EX is the latest iteration of the combat proven F-15, a twin-engine, high-performance, all-weather air superiority fighter known for its incredible acceleration and maneuverability.
The USAF is procuring the F-15EXs from Boeing, to replace F-15C/D models. The goal is to increase the F-15 fleet fighter readiness.
Apr. 7, 2021 marked the unveiling of the name of the newest F-15 variant, the F-15EX Eagle II.
Photo credit: Boeing and U.S. Air Force
