Tag: F-15 Eagle. F-15E Strike Eagle

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The 494th FS spearheads a new deployment model

By Tech. Sgt. Dhruv Gopinath and Tech. Sgt. Rachel Maxwell

SOUDA AIR BASE, Greece —
U.S. F-15E Strike Eagles assigned to the 494th Fighter Squadron, stationed out of Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, conducted an Agile Combat Employment movement to Souda AB Greece, within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, July 15, 2022.

U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Curtis Culver, 494th Fighter Squadron commander, smiles as he watches two F-15E Strike Eagles return after completing an Agile Combat Employment movement between combatant commands, at Souda Air Base, Greece, July 15, 2022. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Rachel Maxwell)

“We wanted to operationalize the concept of agile forces conducting operations in multiple combatant commands from a single geographic location,” said Lt. Col. Curtis Culver, 494 FS commander. “We demonstrated that we can rapidly move aircraft between combatant commands, and be ready for contingency operations in either.”

U.S. Air Force Capt. Sean Blye, an F-15E Strike Eagle pilot assigned to the 494th Fighter Squadron, from Royal Air Force Lakenheath, England, conducts pre-flight checks at Souda Air Base, Greece, July 15, 2022. Blye acted as mission flight lead while conducting flight operations from Souda AB to an undisclosed location within the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility, in an effort to exercise cross-combatant command Agile Combat Employment operations. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Rachel Maxwell)

In order to validate the concept, the 494 FS flew two of its Strike Eagles from Souda Air Base, Greece to the CENTCOM AOR, which landed, refueled and then returned the same day.

“It was a really cool experience overall,” said Capt. Sean Blye, the mission’s flight lead. “It was great to see all the different teams come together to make it seamless and show just how easy it is to send out airpower across multiple combatant commands in a single day.”

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MISSION READY
INSIDE THE BEST FIGHTER SQUADRON OF THE U.S. AIR FORCE

written by Patrick “Red” van Dam

Mission Ready is a visual narrative about a world that’s not accessible to most of us. Until now. Documentary photographer and creative director Patrick van Dam gives us a realistic and uncensored insight into the “Best Fighter Squadron of the U.S. Air Force”. Through compelling images, he offers an insider perspective of the legendary 493rd Fighter Squadron’s daily operations. This is not Top Gun. This is better. This is real.

From 2016 to 2021, Van Dam was granted access to several restricted military airbases and experienced first-hand what it takes to be a fighter pilot during a training mission in an F-15 Eagle. His contemporary photography is never shy of demystifying a sometimes romanticized world, yet always with an aesthetic point of view.

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INSIDE THE BEST FIGHTER SQUADRON OF THE U.S. AIR FORCE”
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F-15A 71-0283

Celebrating 50 years of the Mighty Mighty this month. Today a closer look to the fourth prototype built. F-15A 71-0283 made its first flight on 13 January 1973, and was used as the structural test aircraft. This was the first F-15 with the slightly smaller wingtips which had been redesigned to counter a severe buffet problem encountered during the test program. The aircraft was used by the combined McDonnell Douglas /USAF F-15 Joint Test Force at Edwards AFB from May 1973 (coded ‘4’). By 1978, 71-0283 had become a McDonnell Douglas test aircraft, and on 12 November 1979 it was noted in the red and white color

Note the original smaller-sized air brake on the spine. 71-0283 was finally retired in 1998. Undergoing restoration at Wright-Patterson AFB (OH) in July 1999, and ended up preserved at the Defense Supply Center, Richmond (VA) by October 2000.

Have a look at the other Eagle histories at https://skytrailer.nl/eagle-history/

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44th Fighter Squadron air refueling

Tech. Sgt. Corban 4th Combat Camera Squadron, flew with the 44th Fighter Squadron “vampire Bats” on June 9, 2022. Providing Air Dominance in the Pacific, Tech Sgt. Corban shot these awesome photos during the flight. Enjoy!

U.S. Air Force F-15 Eagles assigned to the 44th Fighter Squadron, Kadena Air Base, Japan, return to base after training operations in the Pacific, June 9, 2022. Team Kadena is committed to providing world class support to enable a range of U.S. operations and exercises to strengthen regional alliances and partnerships, as well as U.S. forces’ readiness to respond when called upon. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Corban Lundborg)
A U.S. Air Force F-15D Eagle pilot assigned to the 44th Fighter Squadron, Kadena Air Base, Japan, approaches a KC-135 Stratotanker assigned to the 912th Air Refueling Squadron, March Air Reserve Base, California, for aerial refueling, June 9, 2022. For decades, Kadena Air Base has served as the Keystone of the Pacific, enabling U.S. power projection. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Corban Lundborg)
U.S. Air Force F-15 Eagles assigned to the 44th Fighter Squadron, Kadena Air Base, Japan, conduct training operations in the Pacific, June 9, 2022. Team Kadena is committed to providing world class support to enable a range of U.S. operations and exercises to strengthen regional alliances and partnerships, as well as U.S. forces’ readiness to respond when called upon. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Corban Lundborg)
A U.S. Air Force KC-135 Stratotanker assigned to the 912th Air Refueling Squadron, March Air Reserve Base, California, conducts aerial refueling with Air Force F-15 Eagles assigned to the 44th Fighter Squadron, Kadena Air Base, Japan, June 9, 2022. Team Kadena is committed to providing world class support to enable a range of U.S. operations and exercises to strengthen regional alliances and partnerships, as well as U.S. forces’ readiness to respond when called upon. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Corban Lundborg)
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144th Fighter Wing “Alaska DACT 22”

 photos by Master Sgt. Charles Vaughn and Capt. Jason Sanchez

Airmen and F-15s assigned to the Calif. Air National Guard’s 144th Fighter Wing are conducting dissimilar aircraft combat training with the 3rd Wing’s 90th and 525th Fighter squadrons at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, and testing their ability to backfill for the alert air defence mission within the region.

The training at JBER focuses on fighter integration training between fourth-generation F-15 Eagles and fifth-generation F-22 Raptors and their ability to interoperate seamlessly. The training began April 11, 2022 and will conclude in approximately three weeks.

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