Boeing completes first flight of F-15QA for Qatar

April 14 (UPI) -- Boeing announced Tuesday that it has successfully completed the first flight of the F-15QA fighter during a 90-minute mission from the Lambert International Airport in St. Louis.

Boeing developed the F-15QA for the Qatar Emiri Air Force and describes it as the most advanced version of the jet ever manufactured.

"This successful first flight is an important step in providing the QEAF an aircraft with best-in-class range and payload," said Prat Kumar, Boeing vice president and F-15 program manager. "The advanced F-15QA not only offers game changing capabilities but is also built using advanced manufacturing processes which make the jet more efficient to manufacture. In the field, the F-15 costs half the cost per flight hour of similar fighter aircraft and delivers far more payload at far greater ranges. That's success for the warfighter."

The F-15QA includes fly-by-wire flight controls, a digital cockpit, modernized sensors, radar and a electronic warfare capabilities -- and the world's fastest mission computer.

In 2017 The Pentagon awarded Boeing $6.2 billion to manufacture 36 F-15 fighter jets for Qatar, and last week the Department of Defense awarded Boeing $68 million for maintenance and logistics support for Qatar's F-15 program.

Boeing plans to begin delivering aircraft to Qatar in 2021.