McDonnell Douglas F-15S/MTD

The McDonnell Douglas F-15 STOL/MTD (Short Takeoff and Landing/Maneuver Technology Demonstrator) is a modified F-15 Eagle. Developed as a technology demonstrator, the F-15 STOL/MTD carried out research for studying the effects of thrust vectoring and enhanced maneuverability. The aircraft used for the project was pre-production TF-15A (F-15B) No. 1 (USAF S/N 71-0290), the first two-seat F-15 Eagle built by McDonnell Douglas (out of 2 prototypes ), the sixth F-15 off the assembly line, and was the oldest F-15 flying up to its retirement. It was also used as the avionics testbed for the F-15E Strike Eagle program. The plane was on loan to NASA from the United States Air Force.

The first F-15B was converted into a short takeoff and landing, maneuver technology demonstrator aircraft. In the late 1980s it received canard flight surfaces in addition to its usual horizontal tail, along with square thrust-vectoring nozzles. It was used as a short-takeoff/maneuver-technology demonstrator (S/MTD).

The F-15 S/MTD was later converted into the F-15 ACTIVE (Advanced Control Technology for Integrated Vehicles) from 1993 to 1999, an advanced flight control technology research aircraft with thrust vectoring nozzles.

The F-15 ACTIVE was then converted into the F-15 IFCS, an intelligent flight control systems research aircraft, and operated from 1999 to 2008. F-15B 71-0290 was the oldest F-15 still flying when retired in January 2009.

While with NASA, the aircraft's tail number was 837; for the Quiet Spike program and Research Testbed it was 836, and 835 was used for the Highly Integrated Digital Electronic Control (HIDEC) program.