12 Additional F-15E Strike Eagles Deploy to Middle East
A massive formation of 12 F-15E Strike Eagles from North Carolina’s 4th Fighter Wing has crossed the Atlantic, staging at RAF Lakenheath before a final push to the Middle East.
In a major new movement amid soaring U.S.-Iran tensions, 12 F-15E Strike Eagles from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base (4th Fighter Wing, North Carolina) are heading across the Atlantic.The jets flew in two clean 6-ship formations (calls: TABOR11–16 and TABOR21–26) escorted by 2 × KC-46 Pegasus and 4 × KC-135 Stratotankers.
Real-time OSINT trackers (@Osint613, @EISNspotter and others) captured the departure and mid-Atlantic refueling tracks earlier today.
The planes has now arrived/staging at RAF Lakenheath, UK, standard stop before continuing onward to CENTCOM forward bases.
This is the latest wave in what defense analysts are calling the largest U.S. military buildup in the Middle East since the 2003 Iraq invasion. Multiple carrier strike groups, F-22s, F-35s, A-10s and additional strike assets have already surged into the region.
OSINT sources (including LiveMint reporting today) indicate the final destination for these Seymour Johnson F-15Es is likely Ovda Air Base in southern Israel, joining previously deployed assets.
The F-15E Strike Eagle remains the U.S. Air Force’s premier deep-strike platform, capable of carrying GBU-28/GBU-72 bunker-busters and proven in last year’s direct defense of Israel against Iranian barrages.
Pentagon has issued no official statement (standard OPSEC for Coronet deployments), but the timing is unmistakable as Washington weighs options against Iran’s nuclear program