Sporting brilliant red, white and blue plumage, this highly-modified F-15B (Serial #71-0290) is being flown in the Advanced Control Technology for Integrated Vehicles--or ACTIVE--research program at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, California. The most prominent features of the two-seat F-15 are the canards ahead of the wings and the multi-axis thrust-vectoring engine exhaust nozzles, which are linked to an advanced flight control system. A joint program between NASA, the U.S. Air Force, F-15 manufacturer McDonnell-Douglas and engine builder Pratt and Whitney, the ACTIVE program is developing technologies to improve cruise and maneuvering capabilities of future military and civilian aircraft at both subsonic and supersonic speeds.